An early years trainer who has worked with young children for 30 years offers practical suggestions to help parents embed meditative prayer into their family life

Our lives have become busier, noisier and more frantic. Many of us have lost the ability to stop, to be in silence and stillness. With mental illness a growing concern for both adults and children, stopping and stillness is increasingly being recognised as a way of reducing stress and achieving greater wellbeing.

Within the Christian tradition, there is a long history of meditative prayer, going back to the desert fathers and mothers. Many spiritual writers, including Richard Rohr, Martin Laird and Ian Adams, are reminding us of this long tradition and encouraging us to reconnect with it.

Young children are increasingly restless and distracted. I am interested in how we can help children from a young age to discover this precious tool. There is no sure way to wellbeing and happiness, but we are born with a natural appetite for the things of God, and meditative prayer can help children satisfy one of their deepest yearnings. Many schools are now using mindfulness and meditation in classrooms and assemblies, and teachers are beginning to adopt techniques drawn from contemplative prayer. But meditation is also something we can embed into our family life. This ancient form of prayer can become part of the day-to-day routine, as natural as saying grace before meals. All the ideas I am sharing are ones I have used at home with my own family, as well as in schools and churches with other families.