How often is your home silent while your kids are awake? Is silence something you crave? Do you want to teach your children to appreciate and grow in moments of silence?
Christian meditation can do that and more! Now I am not saying you will have hours of silence, but I do believe you can have beautiful, serene moments of silence, that the Holy Spirit can use exponentially to satisfy and refresh your mama soul while also having incredible benefits for your children and their faith.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
Playing with Spiritual Disciplines
The idea of Spiritual Disciplines is not new to me, but with the busyness of mamahood to 5 littles I haven’t been as intentional with them as I have at other times in my life. But, the HS has been bringing them into my Bible studies, conversations, and books A LOT recently.
I finally had to start listening a little more closely and do something about it. The spiritual disciplines are practices that we can participate in to draw closer to God. They are not a means of earning His love, but an opportunity to more fully experience and understand His presence.
Over the past 2 months, as I have been diving into the spiritual disciplines, the Holy Spirit has lovingly reminded me that I already do more of them than my Enneagram Type 1 Inner Critic gives me credit for doing. God doesn’t want or need me to add a list of things to my life, but I can tweak a few things I am already doing and be more intentional with them to produce more fruit in my life.
One spiritual practice I felt called to more fully develop in my life is meditation. And, I believe God wants my girls to share in this stretching, beautiful, simple, full-body, sensory experience that brings us into His presence on His terms.
What is Meditation?
The practice of reflecting on Scripture.
She Reads Truth‘s Faith in Practice Study
In meditation we gaze at something or someone long and longingly. We seek the treasure and truth of what we see.
Adele Calhoun in SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES Handbook
Biblical meditation is the powerful practice of pondering, personalizing, and practicing Scripture.
Robert J. Morgan in Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation
Christian Meditation is a prayer of the heart, not of the mind.
The Canadian Christian Meditation Community
Bible Verses about Meditation
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.
Psalm 119:11
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all you have done; I reflect on the work of your hands.
Psalm 143:5
These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7a
and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:15
Can Kids Meditate?
Absolutely! As I thought about this nudging of the HS in my family’s spiritual life, I was very hesitant. I totally believed kids, in general, are capable of meditation but were MY kids? I mean I have FIVE kids, 4 of them 4 and under. Maybe I should try it with just the oldest first, or when the baby and toddler were napping. But, those anxious thoughts were not giving credit to God and the relationships He desires with my girls.
So, I took a baby step of faith and invited the girls to meditate with me for 20 seconds. Actually, I told them it was going to be 10 seconds but they were doing so good that I let us keep going for an additional 10 seconds. We did it! All 6 of us, lying on the floor in complete silence for TWENTY seconds. It was a miracle and a huge blessing! God multiplied that time for my soul and it was glorious! I was so proud of the girls. And, so grateful that the Holy Spirit has been gently nudging me until I obeyed.
Why should kids meditate?
If you are a beginner when it comes to meditating, you may not realize all of the wonderful benefits that can come with Biblical Meditation. Here are just some of the advantages children and their families have experienced from meditating:
- Calms their bodies
- Allows them to practice self-control
- Offers time to reflect on God without pressure or expectation
- Encourages autonomy in their relationship with God
- Helps kids to be more patient
- Improves attentiveness
- Increases empathy and kindness
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Helps kids have better sleep
- Leads to a healthy self-esteem
- Encourages kids to become better listeners
How do you meditate with kids?
I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to meditate as long as you are focusing on God or Scripture, but here are a few ideas that might help if you are just getting started.
If you would like one-on0-one help with this or other discipleship, book a free consultation.
The Prayer of the 3 S’s
In this style of meditation, you engage using the 3 S’s: silence, stillness, and simplicity. It is a model credited to the Benedictine Monk Friar John Main. If you use this style, it is recommended that you use a prayer word or mantra to silence your mind so that you can listen with your heart. The Canadian Christian Meditation Community instructs teaching your kids the word Maranatha, an Aramaic word meaning “come Lord.”
You then sit up tall, hands in your lap, still your bodies and relax while becoming aware of your breath, body, and spirit. Stillness is as much for your own connection with God, as it is a gift for others around you.
Finally, as you slowly say the word syllable by syllable, ma-ra-na-tha, you let go of preconceived notions of what you should be doing or achieving and trust God to meet us in the simplicity of the moment.
Guided Meditation
This a style of meditation that may work really well for the youngest meditators, although you won’t experience complete silence. This uses a calming story or prayer to guide your child through a time of calm and focus on God. There are lots of videos online that you can use if this is something you are interested in. Here is a blog post with a great collection of guided meditations for kids.
Wing It
This is my preferred style. I listen for a prompting of the Holy Spirit. Invite my girls to join me. Remind them of our meditation verse, “Be still and know that I am God.” We lie down on the floor, close our eyes, and I silently count while savoring the quiet, remembering Who He is, and celebrating all that the Lord has done for me, both big and small.
Tips for Teaching Your Kids Christian Meditation
- With any of the styles start with short sessions and build us to about 1 minute per year of their age, ie 4-year-olds can work up to 4 minutes.
- Set a short time and continue for the full time, even if your kids start to giggle, talk, or play.
- Fidgeting is to be expected and is okay.
- When you are first learning start when your kiddos are already calm.
- Model meditation with your kids and on your own.
- Close your eyes so that you aren’t distracted by your kiddos.
- Stick with it.
- Don’t force your kids. Invite your kids to join you.
- Tell your kids about your experience after.
- Ask your kids about their experience.
- Trust the Holy Spirit to work in you and your kids.
For more tips on this and other spiritual disciplines with kids book a free consult.
Conclusion:
While this isn’t something that we have built into our daily lives, yet, it is definitely something I encourage you to try. We have begun to meditate together every so often and it has been so good for my soul. I think as I continue to pursue the silence, it will become more frequent in our home. It is not something I plan on forcing my girls to do, but I want to offer and model meditation as spiritual discipline that refreshes us and helps us experience God more fully.
Do you meditate with your children? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
Currently reading and inspired by:
In addition to the Christian Resources listed throughout, here are some secular articles on meditation for children. I do not endorse “mindfulness” and from a Christian perspective, I encourage the focus to remain on God and Scripture, as opposed to self.
https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/meditation-for-kids-a-beginner-s-guide/
https://mindworks.org/blog/meditation-for-children/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/10/18/the-many-benefits-of-meditation-for-children/?sh=665079dedbe3
https://www.healthline.com/health/meditation-for-kids
