guided meditation for children
Friendly Wishes
Friendly Wishes is based on the traditional practice known as Metta or Lovingkindness meditation. In addition to being a concentration practice, these meditations help children develop compassion for themselves and others.*
#1 “The Jewel”
Sending Friendly Wishes to a Friend
#2 “Floating Above the earth”
Sending Friendly Wishes to everyone
#3 “Colors”
Sending Friendly Wishes to Ourselves
*Note to parents / educators: For many children, sending friendly wishes has a relaxing effect and can be useful for settling down at bedtime. However, many children have someone in their life who is an unhealthy figure, and it’s important that this is taken into consideration when teaching children to meditate, especially when practicing Friendly Wishes. In my classes, I always assume that there is at least one child who has experienced trauma or has an unkind or abusive adult in their life, and my guided meditations are created with this sensitivity. But please pay attention to whether a child seems negatively affected by Friendly Wishes, and never ask a child to use this practice if it seems to make them uncomfortable. Lastly, we don’t ask children to send Friendly Wishes to a “difficult” person in their life—this is a practice that is only appropriate for adults. If children learn to cultivate compassion as a child, they will naturally move on to include more challenging people when they are old enough to understand the complicated nature of such relationships.