We all know that sleep is so so important, however, sleep can be challenging for a lot of kiddos and their families! Many families that come to Team 4 Kids report that their child has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. Often times we hear that they have a hard time winding down at the end of the day. In comes mindfulness! You may be familiar with mindfulness, and may even do mindfulness exercises yourself. The overall idea behind mindfulness is to slow down and be in the present moment. My personal go-to for mindfulness is guided audio meditations from the app Insight Timer. There are tons of audio recordings geared specifically toward children. Bonus- the app is free!
Below are some of my favorites on the app Insight Timer
- Winddown Timers
- Superpower Sleep For Kids by Cynthia Arscott
- Kids Sleep Meditation (5-13yrs) by Fleur Chambers
- For Kids: A Practice For Sleep by Franko Heke
- The Sleep Jungle by Happy Minds
- Melt Into Sleep (For Your Children) by Andra West
- Silent Superheroes #7- Help Kids Sleep by Zachary Phillips
Try playing one of these in your child’s room once you’ve completed your bedtime routine and your little one is tucked in for bed. You can also try pairing this with a red night light- research shows that red light is calming for the brain (compared to blue light, which is more alerting!)
Sweet dreams, friends! If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, give us a call at TEAM 4 Kids.
Becca Stoddard, MOT OTR/L