20 Minute Kindness Lesson for Young Children

Emotional Self-CareParentingLessons for KidsMindfulness

Mar 18

Learn How to be a Friend to Yourself and Others, Ideal for Ages 4-8

Earlier this week I shared the Loving Kindness meditation on Instagram, and it was my most popular post to date. This meditation, from the Buddhist tradition, is a concrete way to expand the compassion we have for ourselves and others.

I first learned about this mediation when I was in graduate school from internationally recognized mindfulness expert, Shauna Shapiro, Ph.D. Years later, when I found myself working in school-based mental health I wanted to help these young citizens practice kindness and compassion for both themselves and others. As Kristin Neff, Ph.D. shares in her work about self-compassion, America places a cultural emphasis on kindness towards others, but not on kindness towards ourselves.

As many parents are at home with their children due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I know there are a lot of academic instruction tips being shared. As my background is in mental health and wellness, I wanted to share a lesson I’ve used in elementary schools to help with social and emotional learning.

Begin showing a video or reading, Listening With My Heart: A Story of Kindness and Self-Compassion by Gabi Garcia (8 minutes)
Talk with your child about the examples in the book of Esperanza’s kindness towards herself, animals, and her friends (4 minutes)
Play the “Be Kind to Yourself” GoNoodle video (5 minutes). GoNoodle is a platform that aims to help children have fun while learning about mindfulness, movement, emotion regulation, and self-awareness. It is typically only available to educators, but a free version called GoNoodle: Good Energy at Home was released due to the Coronavirus outbreak. If you are having trouble viewing the video on GoNoodle, you can also try this YouTube Loving Kindness meditation video that is narrated by a child!
Ask your child what they thought of the kindness meditation (3 minutes)

This is a great activity because parents get to squeeze in some self-care while being led in the guided Loving Kindness meditation with your child. You can also find more information about the Loving Kindness meditation for adults in my prior blog post about emotional self-care. I hope you and your children enjoy this activity as much as I have personally and professionally.