Once upon a time, there was a little girl who worried....a lot. She worried about school and she worried about doing things that she thought might be scary. She even worried about the food she ate! But more than anything, she worried about going to bed. Because it was dark. Because she was on her own and because she didn't want to have a bad dream. And this made it very difficult to go to sleep and stay asleep because she just couldn't relax enough.
Her Mummy, who loved the little girl with all her heart, worried too. She worried that all this worrying and lack of sleep would make her little girl sick and that she would grow up to be anxious and unhappy. So she decided that something must be done.
Now it just so happened that the little girl's Mummy had recently discovered 3 magical things that had been helping her to manage her own thoughts and feelings when they got on top of her and she wondered now whether these magical things might be able to help her little girl too.
So one day, when the little girl was worrying about going to school, her Mummy showed her the first magical thing: the magic of the breath. They breathed together deeply and slowly and they focused on their breath as it filled up and then emptied once again from their lungs. And they found calmness and comfort in its never ending, gentle rhythm. The little girl knew that she could use this new magic whenever she was worrying in school and that she would be able to control her worries and feel connected to her Mummy, even when they weren't together.
The following day, they were out for a walk when the little girl spotted an enchanted tree. She longed to climb it but was worried she might fall and hurt herself. This is when her Mummy told her about the second magical thing: the magic of noticing. Both the little girl and her Mummy loved nature and so noticing what the moss felt like beneath their bare feet, hearing so many different sounds the harder they listened and smelling the bluebells that carpeted the forest floor was so very special for both of them. And they found strength and resilience in the beauty of what they noticed and the little girl felt brave and climbed the tree.
On the third day, the little girl couldn't sleep. She was frightened that she would have a bad dream and this was making her feel very tense. Her Mummy knew that it was time for the third magical thing: the magic of meditation. She read the little girl a relaxing tale and she closed her eyes and listened to the words, losing herself in the story. Here she found enough peace and relaxation to help her drift off into a lovely deep sleep and so it soon came to pass that the little girl would ask her Mummy for a story like this every night.
With her 3 new magical things, the little girl felt confident and empowered. She knew that she would still worry about things but she also knew that when she did, she would be able to use one of her magical things to help her to deal with it And although they didn't always live happily ever after, the little girl and her Mummy did without a doubt live happier ever after.
The moral of the story is that mindfulness possesses so many benefits for children and that introducing your child to some simple daily practices can have long lasting effects on their mental health and emotional well-being.
And if you're ready to start your shared mindfulness journey with your child, sign up for our fully funded classes right here: https://www.dreamyourfuturefamilies.co.uk/parent-and-preschool-mindfulness-classes