Cultivating Healthy Solitude & Mindfulness in Children

This presentation was given at the Alone Together Again: 2nd International Pandisciplinary Symposium on Solitude. Abstracts The mantra, “children are to be seen, not heard” arguably characterizes adult expectations for children throughout many generations of Western culture. This perspective may produce quiet children who refrain from speaking, however such muteness differs vastly from silence as a healthy practice. Imposed stillness whether enforced via authority, familial/social expectations, or punishment lacks two critical aspects of healthy silence: dignity and autonomy. This paper will overview common cultural perspectives on human development and, of relevance, childhood. Next the author will provide a brief synopsis of common definitional aspects of silence. As a majority of children’s daily lived experiences occur in schools, the paper will address silence in the school/classroom setting asserting that healthy silence cannot be practiced in schools where the overall school spirit (or climate) hinders the dignity and autonomy of its children. The paper will then review related research on silence with children. Studies from multiple disciplines will be presented, reviewed through an educational/school lens. Current and previous research by the author will be outlined as representative of potential explorations. The paper will conclude with a return to common social/cultural expectations of children, specifically in terms of silence. A similar return will be made to the themes of dignity and autonomy. Parallels between solitude and mindfulness will be used to illustrate the argument that healthy silence is a necessary aspect of human development, and not solely reserved for adults