How To Teach Your Kids Meditation

This technique involves training a child with ADHD to respond to a specific phrase or code word, helping to capture their attention without raising one’s voice. It creates a habit of focused response, making communication easier and more effective.

Examples and implementation:

1. Choose a unique phrase like “Eyes on Daddy” or a silly word like “slippery pineapples”
2. Practice the technique regularly, starting with eye contact for 5 seconds
3. Use a calm voice when saying the code word
4. Smile and provide positive reinforcement when the child responds
5. Deliver your message or instructions after gaining their attention

“So we’d sit down right? So the kid is about three years old, I’d say eyes on Daddy, 12345, and essentially what we’re going to do is going to we’re going to make eye contact for five seconds. And at the very beginning, when she was learning this technique, it was sort of very hard for her to focus on me.”

“So this eyes on Daddy technique you sort of don’t have to use that. Other people will do different things. Some people will even come up with a specific code word. So one person I worked with came up with something like slippery pineapples.”

Reflective questions:

• How might this technique improve your relationship with an ADHD child?
• What creative code words could you come up with that would resonate with your child?
• How could this technique be adapted for different age groups or settings?

ADHD communication strategies, Positive reinforcement, Habit formation

Incorporating a tactile element into meditation practices can help ground and focus the attention of individuals with ADHD, making it easier for them to engage in mindfulness exercises.

Example: Om chanting with hand on throat

1. Place hand on throat during Om chanting to feel vibrations
2. Demonstrate the technique first, then let the child try
3. Encourage exploration of different sounds and vibrations
4. Gradually move to independent Om chanting without hand placement

“So even people who I work with who have ADHD, adults, kids, all of the above, if there’s something involving the body, something about the body is incredibly grounding and can sort of focus their attention more easily.”

“So it becomes kind of fun and exploratory. So getting teaching my own kid, for example, how to meditate, was a little bit challenging because she was just wasn’t interested. Her mind would get distracted easily. But as soon as I add a tactile component, as soon as I add an experiential component, it engages the mind and sort of gets her to listen.”

Reflective questions:

• How might incorporating tactile elements enhance other mindfulness practices for ADHD individuals?
• What other senses could be engaged to make meditation more accessible for those with ADHD?
• How could this approach be adapted for group settings or classrooms?

Sensory engagement in meditation, ADHD-friendly mindfulness techniques, Body-mind connection

Om chanting can be used as an effective tool to help ADHD children calm down, focus, and prepare for activities like bedtime. It combines breath control, vocalization, and mindfulness to create a centering effect.

Implementation steps:

1. Introduce Om chanting gradually, starting with short sessions
2. Use it as a transition activity before bedtime or during high-energy moments
3. Incorporate variations like changing volume, duration, or speed of chanting
4. Connect the practice to relatable concepts (e.g., “Let’s do five Oms so that sheepy can go to sleep”)
5. Practice regularly to build familiarity and effectiveness

“So once you sort of entrain this, eventually, what you can do is get to the place where now what I’ll do, especially with my kid, and what I’ve taught other parents to do, is we’ll chant five ohms if we need to calm down sometimes before we’re getting into bed, we’ve been rolling around.”

“Let’s do five ohms so that sheepy can go to sleep. Let’s do five ohms so that doggy can go to sleep. So you can sort of use this technique and anchor it in some ways around your kid to sort of teach them how to meditate a little bit.”

Reflective questions:

• How might Om chanting be integrated into daily routines for ADHD children?
• What creative ways could you make Om chanting more engaging and fun for kids?
• How could this technique be adapted for use in different emotional states or situations?

Breath control techniques, Bedtime routines for ADHD children, Sound therapy

When incorporating tactile elements in meditation, especially around the neck area, it’s crucial to be aware of potential risks and avoid applying pressure to both sides of the neck simultaneously.

Key points:

• Carotid baroreceptors in the neck detect blood pressure
• Pressing both sides can cause a false reading of high blood pressure
• This can lead to a sudden drop in actual blood pressure and potential fainting
• Always use one hand only when practicing tactile meditation techniques involving the neck

“So the last thing that I want to just point out, which is kind of like a quick warning, is we never want to press both sides of the neck at the same time. So it turns out that in our neck we have these little blood pressure sensors called our carotid baroreceptors.”

“So don’t do both hands at the same time, and certainly not to your kid.”

Reflective questions:

• How can we ensure safety while still incorporating beneficial tactile elements in meditation?
• What other safety considerations might be important when adapting meditation practices for children?
• How can we educate others about these safety precautions in a clear, non-alarming way?

Meditation safety guidelines, Anatomy in mindfulness practices, Adapting meditation for children

Key principles to make meditation more accessible and beneficial for individuals with ADHD, especially children.

Summary of principles:

1. Use attentional code words to break through distractions
2. Incorporate tactile or sensory elements to ground the practice
3. Focus on body-based techniques to engage a wandering mind
4. Adapt traditional practices to be more interactive and exploratory
5. Use meditation as a tool for emotional regulation and calm
6. Gradually build meditation skills through consistent, short practices

“The first is, we can use something like an attentional code word, some kind of signal. We can build a habit with our kid to snap through their attentional blocks and kind of engage with them without yelling at them and without doing something that makes them feel bad.”

“The cool thing is that if we can ground meditation in our body, or we can add some kind of tactile or vibrational component to the meditation, it’ll be a lot easier for kids to engage with it, and it’ll be a lot easier for a distractible mind to engage with it.”

Reflective questions:

• How might these principles be applied to other areas of learning or skill development for ADHD individuals?
• What other creative ways could meditation be adapted to suit the needs of those with ADHD?
• How can parents and educators collaborate to implement these principles effectively?

ADHD-friendly learning strategies, Mindfulness adaptations, Personalized meditation approaches