Guided meditation for toddlers

Benefits + Free Relaxation Scripts

Guided meditation has so many benefits for kids. Using a meditation script is a relaxing and spacious way to encourage mindfulness with your child. From full body relaxation exercises to fun adventures like a magic carpet ride, your child will reap countless benefits from this special bonding time with you.

Meditation is one of the best mindfulness tools you can equip your child with. It helps kids on a big-picture level when it comes to managing stress and anxiety. And overall mindfulness can head off stress before it turns into a cortisol event (or an all-out tantrum for little ones).

Here we’ll cover the benefits of meditation, why guided meditation is a great starting point for kids, how to get started, and you can get 50+ free guided relaxation scripts to practice with your child.

Table of contents

• What is Guided Meditation?
• The Benefits of Guided Meditation for Kids
• Guided Meditation for Kids
• Links to Sample Meditation Scripts
• How to Use a Guided Meditation Script with Your Child
• Get Started with Your Child

In guided meditation, rather than practicing in silence, one is led by another person’s voice. For instance, a parent can read a guided meditation script to their child before bedtime. Being guided can help the meditator focus, prevent their mind from wandering and offer them an entirely new experience.

Nearly every religion (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, etc.) has a tradition of using meditative practices. Meditation has been used for thousands of years to help relieve stress, anxiety, and the feeling of being out of control or overwhelmed. It also helps improve self-awareness, empathy, and mindfulness.

You don’t need lots of experience—just focusing on your own out-breath from start to finish is a beginning. Feel the sound, the sensation. Trust your intuition for knowing what’s best for your child, and when you practice mediation together, that connection will grow stronger.

Lorraine Murray, author of Calm Kids: Help Children Relax With Mindful Activities

During a meditation session, you may focus on breathing, noticing sensations in your body, relaxing, visualizing, and engaging your senses. This mind-body practice provides benefits that last far beyond the meditation session.

The benefits of meditation are numerous – both at home and in the classroom. And good habits early on can lead to a lifetime of well-being. Meditation can

• improve a child’s positive thinking, happiness, and empathy
• help reduce pain and headaches
• improve self esteem
• help children fall asleep faster, and improve sleep quality
• lower cortisol levels, resulting in decreased stress in the body
• help kids focus and concentrate – In a 2019 study, high school students who practiced meditation displayed better attention spans than students who didn’t.
• encourage the use of imagination during guided meditation and help them access their natural creativity both during and after the session
• connect kids with their own emotions as well as the emotions of others, leading to more compassion and a keen sense of emotional intelligence (source)
• improve active listening skills

Some studies have found that kids who are taught to improve their learning or thinking process early on are lifelong better learners and become more resilient.

A 2014 JAMA Internal Medicine study reviewed mindfulness studies in relation to psychological stress and well-being. The analysis included 3,500 participants and compared mindfulness-based stress reduction, transcendental mediation, or mantra-based techniques, and tracked participants on a variety of outcomes — like anxiety, depression, and stress scores.

They found these practices moved the needle on anxiety and depressive symptoms to a degree “comparable with what would be expected from the use of an antidepressant in a primary care population.”

While sitting still in lotus pose for more than a few minutes might be challenging for an antsy child, they tend to love guided imagery and stories. They can take center stage in a self-esteem building adventure or relax into a deep breathing exercise.

Bedtime used to be a battle with our 5-year-old daughter. Since we tried the Lazy River meditation, she’s a completely different kid! Instead of getting hyper or negotiating her nightly routine, she’s calm and seems almost happy to go to bed now.

Marisol R., parent

A July 2021 study found that elementary school kids who practiced mindfulness training slept an average of 74 extra minutes a night.

Our guided meditation scripts for kids have been a much loved part of Green Child for 11 years now. These scripts help kids and teens to improve self-esteem, relieve stress and anxiety, find peace in the present moment, manage anger, and develop an overall positive mental attitude at school and at home.

You can find our ever-growing library of guided meditation and guided imagery scripts for kids all in one place. These calming meditations are written exclusively for Green Child readers by Mellisa Dormoy of Shambala Kids. (They are not available for recording or republishing.)

When you subscribe below, you’ll get full access to the library where you can browse the topics to see which guided meditations will most benefit your child.

Choose a guided imagery script and read it to yourself to find the rhythm before you read it to your child. Once you’re ready and your child is relaxed, simply read in a calm voice, pausing to let the words and feelings sink in.

Here you’ll find some examples of the different types of relaxation scripts you can choose from when you have access to the full library of 40+ scripts. (These links are to scripts that appear on our website. When you have the library (or guided meditation central, as some of our readers lovingly call it, you can print or read from your device with no ad breaks.)

Watch how your child relaxes and engages their imagination while they enjoy these calming scenes. The more often you read a relaxation script, the more easily your child will relax and concentrate.

Meditation works as a stress management tool by switching off the fight or flight response to stress and allowing the body to switch on the relaxation response. When children meditate, they become less reactive to stress.

Dr. Alina Olteanu

Many parents use these scripts at bedtime to help their child fall asleep peacefully. We always get a few emails saying, “My kid was asleep before we even finished the breathing part!”

Other scripts are more suited to morning readings to help them start their day off calmly and confidently. As you browse through the library, you’ll get an idea of which ones are best for your child. Then…

• Choose a script. Read it to yourself first to find the rhythm.
• Make sure your child is comfortable, relaxed, and calm.
• Choose a time when you have your child’s attention and they are open to a new experience.
• Find a place free from distractions or loud noises.
• Read the script to your child in a calm, soothing voice, pausing often. Notice how your child relaxes and engages.
• If your child is still awake when you’ve finished, allow them to reflect and share their thoughts with you.

Children should not be forced to meditate, and if it seems your child isn’t in the right place to meditate at that time, you can move on to another activity and try again later, or on another day.

You may choose to begin with shorter meditation sessions and increase as their ability to focus and meditate grows.

Kids need the adults around them to behave in ways they can model, says Murray. Kids also need to hear and feel that their adults know them well enough to adapt meditation to their needs and preferences, which can change day to day.

Lorraine Murray, author of Calm Kids: Help Children Relax With Mindful Activities

When can kids start meditating? Our own experience has shown that even toddlers can follow along a relaxing story or at least snuggle up and fall asleep to the sound of mom or dad reading a guided imagery script.

More formal studies show the magic age to be around four years old. By that time children are more aware of their own thought processes.

“It’s almost as though meditation was designed for kids,” says Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe. “They just ‘get it’ – there is this elasticity and freedom in their minds which allows them to be present in the moment and free from any external thoughts or pressures. By introducing meditation and mindfulness at an early age, not only can we build on this and help nurture their mind development, but we are also making meditation simple and accessible.”

You know your child better than anyone. You can always try and if they aren’t receptive, let it go for now and try again in a few months.

Green Child Magazine’s guided relaxation scripts for kids are a great place to begin with your child. Parents praise them for helping calm and center their little ones, and some report that reading a meditation is the best way to get their child to fall asleep at night.

Teachers and therapist often share how these scripts have positively impacted their students and patients.

I am a therapist and needed to help a child suffering, and to do so quickly. I was able to pull up Peaceful Retreat. This precious boy had been suffering with a terrible weight, unable to focus on school, unable to sleep, he stated he was starting to ‘feel crazy’. His distress was big and painful. We used the meditation, and when he opened his eyes, he stretched, looked around, then looked me in the eye and said, ‘I feel so much better.’ His shoulders loosened and his facial muscles relaxed. To be able to pull that up free of charge, right from the web…it saved him and his family from hospitalization.

Katherine W., Therapist & Social Worker

Mindful meditation can give children the tools they need to recognize their own signals of stress and bring themselves back into balance. Children are curious and willing to try new things. Meditating with a wiggly pre-schooler may not look exactly as you envision, but your child will benefit, as will you!

This article was originally published in 2017 and was updated in Oct 2022.

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Since 2010, Green Child has published an award-winning publication devoted to natural parenting and conscious living. Noted as “good for a green mama’s soul,” Green Child has grown into a resource valued by parents who care about bringing simplicity, compassion, social responsibility, and instinctual intelligence back to parenting.

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Meditation for Kids - Headspace

Key takeaways:

• Meditation can help kids improve their overall well-being … and do better in school

• Parents can introduce kids to meditation early on

• Try 11 meditations for kids and families

The benefits of meditation for children

Time and time again, meditation and mindfulness at work have been proven to help adults excel in their professional lives. And while younger kids may be decades away from a career, they may already be full-time students. In a school setting, meditation can have a measurable, positive impact.

One of the most important ways meditation is able to help kids excel in the classroom is by improving their working memory capacity, one of the brain’s key executive functions for cognitive development — and a particularly important one when it comes to developing core academic skills such as literacy and mathematics.

It has also been shown to help kids develop an awareness of their own learning or thinking processes, something that’s referred to as metacognition. This is a skill that can essentially help them become better students as they gain more awareness around what learning strategies work best for them.

Meditation has even been shown to improve focus. In one 2019 study, high school students who practiced meditation were found to have a better attention span than those who did not. That’s because, over time, meditation trains the mind to be less easily distracted.

But meditation isn’t only for academic growth — just as we know it’s not only a tool for professional improvement. It’s impactful on personal growth as well. One pivotal study found that mindfulness meditation can increase feelings of calmness, relaxation, and self-acceptance at a time in life that many adolescents may need those things the most.

Meditation has also been shown to help young minds to develop a keen sense of emotional intelligence, the ability to identify and manage one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. And with sharpened emotional intelligence comes essential life skills such as resilience, empathy, active listening, and humility.

What age can kids start meditating?

It may seem feasible for teenagers or even pre-teens to grasp the fundamentals of meditation, but what about kids younger than that? We all know sitting quietly isn’t that easy. It isn’t easy for us as grown-ups, so think about how hard it is for kids. They’d much rather be out and about having fun and getting dirty than sitting still with their eyes closed. Just how early can we begin to introduce children to meditation?

Evidence suggests that by age 4-5, children have a fully developed awareness and understanding of one's own thought process. It’s around this same age that children also begin to understand that other people’s behavior is guided by beliefs and desires, and that these may not necessarily be the same as their own. More than being just intellectually interesting, studies are increasingly showing that kids who are taught to improve their own learning or thinking process early on are more resilient and become better learners. Considering this, age 4-5 might be a great time to begin. Or you might even try jumping into it a bit sooner if your toddler seems interested and engaged. There’s good evidence to suggest that, on average, by age 3 children will have acquired an awareness of themselves and others, and begin using verbs such as ‘think’ and ‘know.’

According to Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, we might be surprised at how well they do, even at a young age. “It’s almost as though meditation was designed for kids,” he says “They just ‘get it’ – there is this elasticity and freedom in their minds which allows them to be present in the moment and free from any external thoughts or pressures. By introducing meditation and mindfulness at an early age, not only can we build on this and help nurture their mind development, but we are also making meditation simple and accessible.”

How parents can help kids learn to meditate

When we meditate as adults, we often try to find a quiet corner of the house all to ourselves to do our daily practice. But research suggests that children’s behavior is often modeled after their parents, so why not allow our kids to watch and/or partake in meditation alongside us?

Rather than look for a hideaway, we might explain what it is we’re doing and why. Even if they struggle to sit still or they close their eyes and giggle, we’re still normalizing the practice and teaching them that meditation is a positive act that benefits our health and happiness. And that’s really the goal, isn’t it?

If the little ones don’t seem particularly interested in joining a guided meditation at first, there are plenty of other ways to ease kids into the practice. Throughout the day, parents or teachers might start to weave in short mindfulness activities for kids, such as creating a mindful bedtime ritual, eating mindfully, practicing deep breathing, or encouraging them to tune in to their senses during a family walk.

While these exercises may not all involve kids sitting still, closing their eyes, and emptying the mind, they will help them understand how to be more present. Once they become familiar with how to do that, they may have an easier time stepping into guided meditation, even if it’s just a short 1- or 5-minute practice at first.

But it’s important not to feel as though we have to force any of these techniques upon them. Some kids will naturally respond to specific approaches better than others, so make sure to have fun exploring them together.

Try 11 meditations for kids and families

Looking for easy guided meditation for kids? We created Headspace for Kids in the Headspace app to help children be healthy and happy, not just for now, but for the rest of their lives. Subscribers can access several mindfulness activities made just for children, including:

• Calm – ages 3-5, 6-8,and 9-12. Teach your child the fundamentals of meditation with this simple, fun breathing exercise.

• Cool Off – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Whether it’s anger or frustration, use this exercise to help melt away any uneasy feelings.

• Good Morning – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. This quick morning meditation for kids will help you and your child start the day off right.

• Rest & Relax – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. In this exercise, kids learn how to recognize calmness and be less reactive.

• Kindness – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. A visualization exercise that will teach your child about openness and generosity.

• Appreciation – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. A visualization to help kids get in touch with a feeling of gratitude for the world around them and the people in it.

• Paying Attention – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Kids will use their imagination to practice a relaxed, precise kind of focus.

• Settling Down – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Help your child focus on a light, playful attitude towards life.

• Goodnight – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Help your little one get a good night’s rest with this relaxing mindfulness activity.

• Sleep Tight – ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. When it’s time for bed, use this exercise to count down to sweet dreams.

• Stay Positive – ages 6-8 and 9-12. Anxious or worried feelings arise from time to time. We’re going to take a few minutes to step out of those thoughts and focus on the body.

Between school, screen time, and navigating all the emotions that accompany growing up, being a kid isn’t always easy. Familiarizing them with meditation can be a kind and gentle way to help their minds stay as calm, healthy, and happy as possible — not only during adolescence, but throughout the rest of their life.

A Parent's Guide to Helping Their Children

Today's youth experience anxiety and stress. Much more than it should. According to recent statistics published by the American Academy of Pediatrics,

Up to 30 percent of children and young adults will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.

Parents and other caregivers should teach our children good stress-reducing habits and introduce them to mindfulness activities that help them grow, support mental health, develop self-control and self-esteem, and reduce anxiety.

One of the best ways to do this is through meditation. We cover everything you need to know about meditation for kids, including what the practice looks like, how to teach it, and why it works. While teaching mindfulness to children may seem like a daunting task for parents or teachers who want to improve the well-being of their children, once you understand what mindfulness and meditation practice is, everything becomes much easier.

Overview: Meditation for Kids

In some ways it is not surprising that children develop stress disorders early. We live in a sensory world. There are real threats, and the unknown can be scary. Today's children suffer from attention spans and an inability to concentrate while studying, in the classroom, or even at play.

It is tempting to think that you can protect your children from all the fears and stresses throughout their lives; the best answer is to explain how to deal with difficult times. Children's meditation can help them with this.

Establishing a solid meditation practice at an early age is a good intention for your children and for yourself as parents and educators.

Whether it's deep breathing exercises, guided meditations, sleep stories, yoga, or any other mindfulness-based intervention, there's no doubt that children of all ages will benefit from mindfulness training from an early age.

Diagnosis of anxiety and behavioral disorders in children has increased dramatically.

Now let's define what meditation is?

For both children and adults, meditation is a practice that can bring great joy and comfort to your life. Although it can be difficult to define meditation in one sentence, in general it can be said that meditation is a mind-body practice that trains mindfulness and focus.

There are many benefits to meditation. For example, it helps to improve concentration, calm frayed nerves, relieve stress, help with self-comfort, and promote happiness. All these benefits are available to both children and adults.

Can children meditate?

Yes! Although a child's meditation will not look the same as an adult's meditation, the basic foundations of the practice remain. Children, for example, may benefit from guided imagery. Their duration may be shorter. And, of course, it is very important to choose meditation for the child. Some, for example, do not tolerate sitting meditation for more than a few minutes very well. However, they are fine with meditating while walking outdoors, mental painting, telling sleep stories in a soothing voice, or even listening to audio recordings as guided meditations.

Mantra meditation can spark curiosity in older children as it requires

extra attention and patience, but can be a great option if your children are willing to dive deeper into

Why is meditation important for children?

Up to 30% of young people develop anxiety disorders.

- American Academy of Pediatrics

Children are not immune from the stresses of life. In recent years, the number of diagnosed anxiety and behavioral disorders in children has increased dramatically. These include attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder. First, it tells us a few things as our understanding of how conduct disorders manifest in children grows. Second, rates of diagnosis are rising as children are tested and diagnosed with these disorders. In other words, today's children are not necessarily more stressed than children of the past. However, it also tells us that children are more prone to anxiety and stress than we previously thought. As parents, we must be vigilant and help our children cope with stressful situations in life and instill self-care in their lives from an early age.

Can meditation help children cope with stress?

Yes. Fortunately, meditation can help calm the symptoms associated with problematic disorders. Children's meditations have the same effects as adults' practice. Even short, simple meditations for beginners can have amazing benefits. A recent study in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that just 15 minutes of meditation has the same positive impact as a full day of vacation.

Meditations for children

• Guided Meditation for Children: Live or recorded guided meditation during which the instructor gives instructions for the meditation session.

• Sleep Meditation: These meditations are gentler and more soothing. Often, meditations are accompanied by music, they calm the mind and prepare the body for sleep.

• Mindfulness Meditation: Meditation and mindfulness just go together. Mindfulness meditation means awareness (full attention) to the present moment instead of focusing on the past or the future.

Benefits of meditation for children

Children can learn through meditation:

1.

Many people learn to breathe incorrectly (shallow) in childhood. Meditation can help develop proper breathing skills. Deep breathing helps focus and relax, which teens, children, and even young adults may not be aware of and express in their own way.

2. How to deal with stress and anxiety.

Meditation helps to re-adjust the mind and calm the hectic thoughts and harsh, stressful emotions.

3. Better focus.

Mindfulness meditation, in particular, can be helpful in improving concentration. This is because staying in the present requires significant attention and awareness.

4. How to calm down and regulate difficult emotions.

Children often experience strong emotions and do not know how to calm down. Meditation helps center the mind and provides a soothing cushion for difficult emotions. If your child loves music, consider downloading a meditation that includes children's music. The audio recording can be turned on before bedtime or in the morning when the child is getting ready to start their day.

5. How to sleep better.

If you want to use bedtime meditation for kids, this is a great idea. Children's bedtime meditation can help alleviate some of the problems they face while resting. Many children feel too anxious, scared, or energetic to properly prepare for bed at night. Meditation before bed is a great remedy for a wandering mind.

Teaching children guided meditation is easier than you think

There is no wrong way to teach a child to meditate. But here are some tips:

1. Start small. Even five or ten minutes of meditation is better than no meditation at all. Before the start of the school day, sit in a quiet place (perhaps even in the car when you drive the children to school) and dedicate time to meditation practice.

2. Try family meditation. Meditation can be a wonderful experience for all family members, including children. This is a great way to bond with your child and build more trust and intimacy.

If you have never meditated before, ask an instructor for a quick start session.

3. Don't worry about the details. It is natural for someone to giggle, move, or be distracted and restless in body and mind. This practice is primarily aimed at manifesting itself. They may also fall asleep.

Meditation for Children: Frequently Asked Questions

At what age should you start meditating?

You can start mindfulness meditation or short, informal meditation sessions with your children at any time. As a general rule, seated meditations are best for children six years of age and older.

How do you meditate as a family?

Here is a quick family meditation: Find a quiet place. Sit on the floor and assume a comfortable, mindful posture. Straighten your back and close your eyes slightly. Set a timer for two to five minutes. Focus on taking a deep breath: Inhale. .. and exhale... Inhale... and exhale... Inhale... and exhale... until the timer runs out. Breathing exercises are the best way to introduce children to meditation - they give them the opportunity to focus and concentrate.

Does meditation help in studies?

Yes. Meditation has been proven to help children focus better and be less distracted. It helps to improve attention during classes and while studying. Meditation can also improve memory and provide mental and physical support to children as they learn. You can even teach your kids to meditate during their lunch break or before exams and tests at school.

Can babies meditate?

While you probably won't be able to get your little one to sit up during a full meditation, you can work on focus together. Try focusing on one object (like a ball) for 30 seconds. Look at it with your child and describe everything about it (color, shape, size, texture, smell...). This is a great mindfulness meditation for toddlers.

Meditation is not the only holy grail for helping children deal with the stresses of the world - there are a whole range of ways to become more mindful and relax. Yoga, painting, singing, pottery, and being in nature (such as forest bathing or swimming) are fantastic tools to support child development.

For apps, check out meditation apps like Headspace, which offers a library of mind-guided programs and meditations with fun illustrations that young children might find interesting.

Resources for Anaachan Meditation

Meditation Vika

Meditation for chakras

Meditation techniques

Meditation of Body scan

Management Meditation for children

Meditation

Up to 30% of young people will suffer from anxiety disorders

Anxiety and depression in children: Find out the facts | CDC

Effect of 15 minutes of meditation versus one day of vacation

Benefits of guided meditation for pregnant women

Pregnancy is not an easy task for women, as is a period full of important physical and hormonal changes . Almost from the beginning of pregnancy, a woman has to cope with the first typical complaints, changes in the body and new sensations that are not easy to cope with. In many cases, anxiety and stress can manifest, which negatively affects the development of the child.

It is very important to find ways to achieve relaxation, for this you can resort to the technique that you like best. There are different ways to reduce anxiety, although every woman is different, and what works for one may not be so helpful for another. One of the most recommended relaxation techniques in all cases, especially for pregnant women, is guided meditation.