Meditation from age 10 to gain self-confidence with Jesus

Spiritual meditation is not just for adults. Developing and nurturing one's interiority can start very young! Introducing our children to meditating on the Word of God from an early age helps them to develop the habit of listening to God, and to find strength and comfort in his words for life. Find out more about a meditation session for children session for children  aged 8 or 10 and over. After a short relaxation exercise, this 5-10 minute session lets us listen to Jesus reveal a great and beautiful message. It's a confidence-booster that will help you live your day to the full at school, with your family and in your various activities!

Body relaxation exercise

The child takes the time to settle into a comfortable position that keeps him or her awake. Ideally, they should be sitting on a chair or on the floor on a cushion, for example.

Before starting meditation, a short concious breathing exercise helps the child to come back to his body, to his sensations and to release his tensions.

Here's a simple and effective exercise:

Invite the child to close his eyes and welcome, for 20 or 30 seconds, the bodily sensations linked to his breathing.

For example:

• The movement of the breath on the stomach, lungs, shoulders, etc.
• The sound of breathing
• The freshness of the air entering the nostrils, the warmth of the breath leaving the mouth...

Then ask her to take two or three deep breaths. For each one,

• Inhale deeply through the nose
• Hold the breath for a few seconds
• Gently blow the air out through the mouth.

Once these two or three cycles have been completed, allow the child's breathing to return to its natural rhythm. Invite the child to welcome the sensations of calm and relaxation in his or her body after these deep breaths.

Time for meditation and prayer

Being present

Let the child take the time to place himself in the presence of God. This can be done with a sign of the cross, a moment of silence or a word such as: Jesus, here I am!

Introducing the Bible verse

Ask the child to meditate on one of Jesus' words, taken from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel: "

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house." (Matthew 5:14-15

Introduce by explaining that, after his baptism, Jesus went from town to town teaching the crowds. He sometimes spoke in front of thousands of disciples who had come from afar to listen to him. Explain that the words Jesus spoke to his disciples back then are words he still speaks to us today, to each and every one of us.

Invite the child to sit back, close his eyes and imagine Jesus speaking to his disciples. Then read the passage from which this verse is taken:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. Teaching About the Law."( Matthew 5:13-16)

(Find explanations and contextualization of this text if necessary)

Allow a little time, then reread a second time.
Ask the child to comment on what he or she has just heard. Let them speak freely, expressing any questions they may have without necessarily trying to answer them.

Contextualization in the child's life

Help the child to accept God's word by rephrasing it in simple terms, for example: "Jesus wants us to understand that each of us is a light from God, made to shine and enlighten the world in our own way. And that if we don't give what we have to give to others, it's as if this little light were hidden away, and that's a real shame."

Invite him to meditate on how this might translate into his life: "You too are a light that God has kindled on earth. And God is counting on you to make this light shine in a special way on your friends, your family, the people you meet.
This light you have within you can be your smile, your kindness, your good humor, your attention to others, the services you render to those around you...
Think of all the things you do that bring joy to those around you."

Ask them to take some time in silence to think about how they radiate to those around them. All those little everyday things he brings into the lives of his family, friends, classmates...

End by telling him how he is, for example, a little light for us.

Repeating the verse

"You are the light of the world". 
Suggest that he meditate on a bible verse, as if writing it in his heart.
Each time he repeats it, he can imagine this light growing in his heart, radiating more and more.

Final prayer

Close this meditation session with a prayer to Jesus. Let the child formulate it in his or her own words. It could be a simple "Thank you".