What resources are there to explain and teach kids about meditation?

It can be really fun to start giving kids some strategies for calming and recognizing their emotions! In the Happier meditation app there are some guided sessions for families interested in mindfulness meditating with their children. Search the app for kids or family.

You might check out the Mental Mischief topic in the Singles tab. Of course, please preview them before sharing with young people- some might not be appropriate. Try Flush Your Thoughts (giggling allowed) which is about giving your mind a rest from thinking and feeling things - just for a few minutes.

With teens, try the compassion, loving-kindness and self-compassion courses. In general, those are topics that teens resonate with and get a lot out of.You might also check out Inward Bound Mindfulness Education that has programs for teens.

Outside the app check out the book Sitting Still Like a Frog, published by Shambhala Publications. There's a great Australian website called Smiling Mind that offers meditation resources for children and Annaka Harris has a website with guided meditations for children ages 6-10.

We're also big fans of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and they have resources for kids.