Sometimes the suggestion to take care of ourselves is just another reason to feel guilty. We're not doing enough, or we're not doing it right. The modern mindfulness movement has a ton of great energy and research behind it... and yet for parents it's another thing to add to our to-do list.
Good news! Being playful and creative with your kids is actually a mindful thing to do.
Developing skills like deep breathing and emotional self-regulation sound so serious, but here are three games – preschooler and parent-tested – that develop both. Each can be adapted for older ages, as noted.
1 | Listening Button
Embody a person or animal who has trouble listening, maybe you're on a pretend phone. Be challenged to listen until your child finds the 'correct' button – possible locations: under the ear, on the nose, on your big toe. Maybe the button moves around. The mindful result is self-awareness and, of course, greater attention to what it really looks like and feels like to listen to someone else. Elementary student version: Perhaps you've asked your 2nd grader three times to come to the breakfast table. Instead of yelling or threatening, get physically close and declare 'Oh! I must've forgotten to turn on your listening button this morning!' Then push a 'button' dramatically and with a wonderful sound effect. Even if they don’t immediately come to the table, this is certain to get their attention and move you both past the temptation of turning it into a power struggle. Or try this: Make a listening button together with markers and a piece of paper. The listening button can randomly appear, and a child can use it on parents too!
