Headspace for children

Headspace for children launches meditation for kids

Headspace for Children has launched from the people behind Headspace – one of the most popular guided meditation apps launched (for adults) 6 years ago. Since then, Headspace has become the brand du jour in popular, or mainstream meditation and is now used regularly by millions of people all over the world.

Last week saw the launch of Headspace for Kids, and we caught up with Andy and the team during their live launch – live streamed on Facebook.

A version of Headspace for children has been in the planning for the last 4 years. It’s something that has been hugely requested by the Headspace community, as the members see the effect that regular meditation

Available to all subscribers, kids (and their parents) can enjoy fun, engaging activities that teach them the basics of mindfulness. They’ll practice breathing exercises, visualisations and even try some focus-based meditation. Of course, different exercises work best for different ages so the sessions have ben customised for three age groups: 5 and under, 6-8 and 9-12.

Andy was introduced to meditation by his Mum, back when he was eleven, and knows how useful it was in his teenage years, Andy explained “Teenage years are when you’re trying to work out life, and your position in it – there’s a lot going on for a kid in a modern world. The amount of stimulation that is coming in in a modern digital world, meditation is just one way to help ensure we keep balance and can cope with it all.”

“Rather than waiting until problems develop in later life, equip yourselves with the tools to cope before you need it.” – Andy Puddicombe

“Kids are not so different to adults, they are real naturals. You might think that they will never sit still but our experience in schools and focus groups are that they are naturals at it. Meditation helps to give them clarity, connection, and creativity; it helps them to be better able to understand how people are feeling.”

“If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation” – The Dalai Lama

Going into schools has apparently been a complete experience. Though working with small groups in schools, they have discovered that 5-6 is a perfect time to start, but the program is tweaked to be engaging to whichever age group they are working with.

Headspace for children
Headspace for children

So if you go into the Headspace App and into the singles section – you find meditations for different ages and time lengths; 5 and under, 6-8, 9-11. Anything from a minute to 5 minutes. Waking up, going to sleep, calming down, and how to build healthy relationships.

For more information, check out the video below and the website: Headspace for kids.