Through my training as a holistic health practitioner and my personal experiences as a survivor of physical and emotional domestic abuse, I’ve used my treatments and my platform as a self-help author to do what I could to make a difference.
The Fairy Tree
One of my meditation group attendees asked if I could help her four-year-old daughter, who was struggling to sleep, so I wrote a short meditation for her called The Fairy Tree. It was this simple step that planted a seed, and I went on to write Meditation for Children which was published in 2019.
It’s written in such a way that it can be used at home or in the classroom.
There’s a ‘goodnight, sleep tight’ ending when used as a bedtime routine, or a colouring activity for a day time exercise. When ‘Meditation for Children’ was published, I was blown away by the messages I received from parents and teachers.
It was heart-breaking to hear about children as young as 4 experiencing anxiety, stress, and depression. To then find out that my meditations had helped them to sleep, feel calmer and more in control of their lives was a real honour.’
Introducing Meditation
Meditation is an easy activity to introduce into the lives of our children. Teaching them the importance of self-care is a vital life skill. Being an unwilling witness, or victim, to the horrors of violence robs children of their innocence. Meditation helps them to establish a calming habit that supports their mental health.
How can you start a meditation routine to help your child?
- Young children respond well to a routine, so if you decide to make this part of a bedtime ritual, it may become a very special time of the day that your child looks forward to.
- The room should be comfortable, not too hot or cold, and with as few distractions as possible. Make sure you are all relaxed.
- Get your child to close their eyes. Young children are well known for their reduced attention span, so keep your meditation short. I’ve added one of my meditations from the book below for you to use and enjoy.
- Even if you keep the meditations (stories) brief, the time to read them can be extended by speaking in a slow, calm, and quiet voice.
The Magic Carpet (2 minutes to read)
‘Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
It’s early in the morning, and everyone is still asleep. You are snuggled up in bed when your bedroom window blows open and a magic carpet floats into your room.
You are happy and excited to see the carpet, and you jump out of bed and climb aboard the soft rug. Can you see what colour and shape it is? (Pause.)
The carpet shimmies and shakes as it waits for you to decide where you want to go on your adventure.
Today, you decide to visit the seaside. Your magic carpet is excited and flaps its tassels extra hard. It flies out of the bedroom window, getting higher and higher. You are so high in the sky you can stretch up and reach the clouds. Your carpet rushes in and out of the fluffy white swirls and the clouds tickle your nose.
The magic carpet dips and sways, and you break through the clouds and see the sparkling sea below you.
You both fly out over the water, dipping so low you can feel the spray of the sea on your face and see the fish in the water, and then you shoot up into the sky again to fly with the seagulls. The sun is shining, and the sea is calm. Are there any boats? What colours are their sails? How many clouds can you count? (Pause for approximately 10-30 seconds to allow your child’s mind to create this image.)
You are having so much fun, but your magic carpet is starting to get tired. It’s time to head home, so you wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch your arms. Your carpet flies through your open window and back inside your bedroom, and you jump off waving goodbye as you run and hop back into bed. The carpet shimmies and shakes before flying out of the window, but it won’t be long until it visits again. For now, you can dream about the adventures you and your carpet can have on your next visit. Until next time. (Pause.)‘
Option 1: Goodnight, sleep tight.
Option 2: Drawing – let’s draw a picture of your adventure.
I hope you found this helpful and can find time to include meditations into your daily routine.
To find out more, please get in touch with Shelley Wilson
