A Guided Meditation Script for a Child?

By John M. Allison

While most people don't think of children when they think of meditation, a good guided meditation script can be just what your kid needs in certain situations. Most people think of meditation as some highly experienced spiritual master sitting in the lotus position for hours. While that's not necessarily false, that's far from the whole truth of meditation. Every child loves a story. Giving them guided imagery gives them a story that they can accept and use. Let me tell you my personal experience with this.

When I was little, I had some pretty bad nightmares. When it started really affecting me, my parents wrote up (in large print) a simple guided meditation script for me. Nothing complex, and nothing fancy. Considering that this script was designed to be read by me if a nightmare woke me, they didn't need to worry about putting me in a suggestible state of mind. All they needed to do was focus on imagery. I don't recall the details, but the image of the shining, fiercely protective unicorn banishing the nightmare to a realm of its own terror stays in my mind to this day, decades later. A few uses of this script, and the nightmares stopped bothering me altogether.

When preparing a guided meditation for a child, there are a few things to remember. You want to keep it short, but interesting. You don't need to worry as much about relaxation, as if you can get the kid's fascination, they'll loosen up anyway. Along the same lines, you want to focus on simple, yet powerful images. Use symbols and settings from their favorite stories (I'm sure the authors won't mind) and really make it come alive for them. If you are writing a guided meditation script for the child to read (as my parents did for me) you will want to make it as easy for them to read as possible.

Another important note is not to try to force it down their throat. In order for this or any other form of meditation or guided imagery to be successful, they need to be willing to try it out for themselves. If their heart isn't in it, then let it go and try to find some other way to help them.

If your child likes the simple meditation, you might consider writing an "exploration" guided meditation script, and take them through a more extended meditation session where they can run and play (proverbially speaking) and really get used to the practice. A steady practice of meditation is beneficial to anyone, but a child is a natural. They may come out of the exploration having seen, heard, and experienced lots of things. Encourage them to write it down, or talk it out and write them down together. This is private information for the child's eyes only, but this can actually be a wonderful tool for self-understanding as they grow older.

Kids are people, and they have people's worries. Will that person like me? Am I performing well enough at my "job" (school)? Are Mom and Dad happy with me? Life as a kid is rough. A guided meditation script is far from a cure-all, but used the right way, it can be a wonderful tool to help them through.

If you would like to know more about reading a guided meditation script to yourself, without relying on an audio player or another person, please click the link.

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