Teaching Kids to Live in the Present Moment
In this day and age and with all the advances in the technology world, it is difficult to keep kids tuned in and living in the present moment. Technology is everywhere that kids turn nowadays, even in their classrooms. With the amount of computer and video games everywhere, it’s becoming more and more of a challenge to get kids to really live in the moment. There are some ways that you can bring your kids back to the present moment, but it will require quite a bit of time and effort on your end as a parent or guardian.
Get Them Outdoors
It doesn’t matter if you have to drive them miles away from the nearest arcade or TV, do it. Take the kids for a camping trip and do not allow any handheld video games, MP3 players or cell phones to be used during the trip. This means you too Mom and Dad!
There should be a rule that cell phones are only kept for emergency use and all other devices should be left at home. Even if your kids start to whimper and whine that they are bored, they will get over it once they see everyone else having fun swimming, canoeing, building a fire and so forth. Being out in nature is extremely therapeutic for the entire family, so if you haven’t started planning that summer camping trip yet, get started!
Have A Game Night
No, not on the Playstation or Xbox. Get the old-fashioned board games out like Clue, The Game of Life and Scrabble. Get everyone involved and even invite your kids friends over to join in. Board games are still classic as they provide fun for the whole family and they require communication and interactive play.
Turn The TV Off And Talk
Many families fall into the routine of watching TV every chance they need to unwind and relax. Some families put the TV on while they are eating meals and do not talk to each other. It is very important to teach kids to communicate and sit face to face with the family during meal times. Ask about your child’s day and talk about yours. Spend some genuine time connecting with one another.
Projects Galore
One of the best ways to teach kids to live in the present moment is to work on projects with them. This doesn’t have to be a stressful school project that they must complete, but rather a fun family project such as building a tree house or baking cupcakes for a bake sale. Families that work together, stick together and recreational projects that are fun and motivational can have a fantastic effect on a child’s confidence level.
Teaching kids to live in the moment won’t always be easy, as there is so much temptation to zone out nowadays. With some time and effort, you can help them practice living in the moment so that they can fully be present and enjoy life to the fullest.
