Meditation with Children
Children are born contemplative.
Children experience God before they think about God. Meditation allows them to reconnect and hold to this capacity that we are all born with.
Over 30 years’ experience of teaching meditation in schools in 30 countries has taught the WCCM that ‘children are born contemplative.’
They take up meditation with great openness and enthusiasm. Learning in the classroom, they usually say they also meditate at home and often teach it to other children and even to their parents. They like to meditate.
It is the experience of schools worldwide verified by spiritual wisdom and scientific research that teaching meditation to children contributes immensely to their well- being and wholeness and to their awareness of God in their lives.
In their own words, children who meditate see the benefits as:
- Helping you let go of all the drama
- Calming and restoring you
- It gives you energy and confidence
- Helps you make better decisions
They also share the fruits as:
- You can be yourself
- You feel the goodness deep inside
- You come closer to God
- You become a kinder person
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Videos
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Free Material Resources
Thanks to a generous donor, WCCM-USA has a limited number of resources available free of charge for principals and teachers who wish to learn more about meditation in schools.
To request any of the following selections, email mwc@wccm-usa.org.
Meditation in Schools
A Gift For Life
Our latest leaflet is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
It is useful for schools and parishes that are considering meditating with children. Download it here or email meditatio@wccm.org for your free copies.
Meditation & Education
The Gift of Simplicity
by Charles and Patricia Posnett
This booklet is a guide for those – especially teachers – who want to introduce primary school children to a daily practice of meditation. It offers a practical way to follow the teaching of Jesus, "for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs."
A Reflection on Mindfulness
Rediscovering the Christian Tradition of Meditation and Contemplation
This document, from the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference, presents the Biblical foundation for meditation as a Christian tradition and offers guidelines for Catholic schools.
Meditation with Children - A Resource for Teachers and Parents
by Noel Keating
Children today are living in a fast-paced world where one solitary voice can easily get lost amid the din. Regular meditation helps children to relax, generate energy and confidence, become aware of their innate goodness and engage more compassionately with their peers.
Meditation with Children: A Resource for Teachers and Parents is a helpful guide to Christian meditation for children. The book encourages adults to experience meditation for themselves and equips them with the tools to introduce the practice to children, including simple lesson plans that can be implemented at home, in the classroom or on a whole-school basis.
Noel Keating explores what the wisdom traditions and religions of the world say about meditation and identifies the practical rewards and spiritual fruits that arise from regular meditation. Featuring excerpts from interviews with Irish primary school children who have practised meditation regularly in the classroom, the book also gives voice to their first-hand experiences of its benefits, both psychological and spiritual.This informative and engaging book sets out a strong case for the importance of meditation in the spiritual development of school-age children. Based on the personal voices of children engaged in school meditation, Dr Keating demonstrates the difference between the practical benefits of meditation and its deeper fruits of spiritual knowledge, greater clarity of perception, personal transformation, and authentic compassionate living. The study provides striking evidence of the depth of spiritual wisdom attained by school children through meditative practice. (Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus, Divinity School, University of Chicago)
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Material Resources for Purchase
Meditation: A Gift for Life. Guidelines for Schools
These guidelines have been developed following consultation with meditators across several countries where the practice has been successfully introduced in schools. Our intent is to provide the foundations for a consistent approach to introduce meditation in schools that is faithful to the essential teachings of the WCCM. Although these guidelines are intended for schools, they can be adapted for parishes. Meditation: A Gift for Life is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish in print and as an e-book. Click on the image to purchase your copy now.
Meditation with Children - Songs and Reflections
Lyrics, Commentary & Sheet Music
by Alana Levandoski and Noel Keating
This booklet is designed to accompany the CD Meditation with Children: Songs and Reflections by Alana Levandoski from Canada and Noel Keating from Ireland. The album features beautiful songs and chants by Alana which illuminate how children experience the deep inner fruits of meditation. Each song is accompanied by a brief spoken piece by Noel whose book Meditation with Children: A Resource for Teachers and Parents (Dublin: Veritas, 2017) was the inspiration for the album.
This booklet contains the lyrics of each song, the spoken word accompanying it, a short commentary which may be used to engage with children about the depth of their experience in meditation and the sheet music in each case.
For additional resources see the WCCM.org website.
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Research
There is now a substantial evidence base reporting the benefits and complexities of meditation programs in schools. Much of this evidence has been collated in a comprehensive scoping review undertaken by Anne Graham at the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University, Australia, on behalf of the WCCM. The full evidence review is available along with an infographic summary capturing some key findings for schools.
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Upcoming Events
John Main Seminar 2024 - Widen Your Tent
REGISTRATION NOW LIVE!
DATE: July 8 - 13, 2024
LOCATION: New Harmony, Indiana & Online
LED BY: Archbishop of Trinidad and Tobago, Jason Gordon
Full Information & Registration Details
at the John Main Seminar Website
This is a unique opportunity for those interested in meditation with children to meet Archbiship Jason Gordon who has been responsible for the implementation of meditation with children in all schools in Trinadad and Tabago.
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Talks
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Get the App
We have a brilliant app for youngsters to time their meditation sessions. Children can listen to the instructions and opening song in Spanish, English or Italian and choose how long they want to meditate for.
Download the app on the Google Play Store
Support our Work
If you’d like to help us in this work please click the link below to donate.
To earmark your donation for Meditation with Children please select “WCCM-USA Programs,” put in the amount you wish to donate and then press the button. On the second screen you can write a note to earmark your donation. Please write in “For Meditation with Children”. Thank you for your support.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to build nationwide supports for local meditators who share the Gift with children and youth.
All meditators and local groups working in Meditation with Children (MWC) outreach to their communities need to review in detail the Essential Issues shown below on this page and in each “Learn more …” active link.
Please forward any questions to the Meditation with Children (MWC) email address. We want to insure you understand fully and can move directly to implement.
The following Essential Issues underlie all of our work in this country.
Essential Issues
We aim to be realistic and proactive about important issues of our time regarding children and youth.
Safety
Permissions
First Amendment Rights
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Contact
Patricia Moore-Pastides
Volunteer Coordinator for Meditation with Children
WCCM-USA
mwc@wccm-usa.org
