She is very excited to share mindfulness ideas with us!
Here's a wee introduction to give you an idea of what it's all about.
"Mindfulness is another way of being kind to ourselves, as well as diet, exercise, having caring family/ friends and a way to understand our feelings. As a result of being kind to ourselves and using mindfulness - we can become more positive and feel HAPPIER!" xx Heather
Get Creative
You've probably seen mindful colouring books in the shops. Often this is what people think of when they hear the word "mindfulness".
Colouring is a calming experience. You are focused on the present moment and on the task in hand. It can be very relaxing and enjoyable.
Lots of our pupils use colouring as a strategy to calm themselves. One of my classes had a slot of colouring after lunchtime, which helped them to settle and be calm after being active.
The mindful colouring sheets are very pretty and intricate. This makes them quite challenging, which means your brain is engaged. Just like with the grounding exercises, it keeps your mind focused on the task.
You can find lots of free downloadable sheets here.
If mindfulness colouring sheets are too challenging for your child, the experience of taking the time to focus on colour is just as valid. So a My Little Pony or Thomas colouring book could be more motivating and achievable for them.
Glitter jars
Glitter jars are a lovely sensory toy. Watching the glitter swirl and fall inside the jar is a good way to calm your child.
For some children you can explain that in this special jar, the glitter represents your thoughts. As they swirl and calm, your thoughts can do the same.
You can make a jar by following the video or the instructions below!
Using your Senses
Being mindful is all about existing in the present. Instead of worrying about what has happened in the past or what might happen in the future, mindfulness on the here and now.
Your senses can help you to do this. Instead of rushing through a moment, you can use your senses to help you slow down and notice what's happening around you.
A good way to practice is mindful eating. The video below will guide you through it.
"Grounding" with the Senses
"Grounding" is a technique that helps bring your mind away from unpleasant thoughts. It keeps your brain busy for a wee minute and that can help to push worries away.
In school we sometimes use grounding techniques with children when they start to get upset or agitated as a way to calm them and bring them back into the moment. Some children can learn to use this technique on their own as a way to help themselves calm down and feel better.
It doesn't have to be a reaction to negative thoughts or feelings. Just like the mindful eating, using grounding regularly can help us to enjoy and moment, notice the world and relax.
A simple way to do it is "tell me 5", shown in the picture below.
Here's a simplified version with Boardmaker symbols.
Mindful Walk
A lovely way to explore the world with your senses is to go for a mindful walk.
Heather went for some walks to practise. She has taken a little video. What can you see and hear?
Colours make you feel happy, are easy to spot and draw the attention of kids. Having a colour-spotting walk is a fun way to use your senses when out walking too!
Heather spotted these colours on her walk.
In the same way, you can listen and see how many sounds there are, smell the different flowers and compare them or touch something hard, soft, squishy etc.
They might even like to explore with their feet!
Mindfulness and Meditation Stories
Listening to a story is a lovely way to unwind, relax and create calm.
There are lots of story books available that you can share with you child that teach mindfulness techniques. You can find a list here.
A nice one is "The Crab and the Whale" by Christiane Kerr and Mark Pallis. As well as being a lovely story it gives children the chance to practice techniques like mindful breathing and noticing their environment.
New Horizons Holistic Centre are a company that create meditation stories. They have an app that you can download to access their stories. Many of them are also available on Youtube.
The stories are lovely. Children are gently reminded to be aware of their bodies and breathing throughout. Sounds of nature and calming music create a peaceful atmosphere. They are encouraged to imagine the things that they like best and make them feel comfortable and happy.
Here's a couple of examples.
Sleepy Stories at Bedtime
Sleep is really important to our health and happiness. We know that for lots of reasons, many of our children have difficulty with sleep. There's a lot involved in getting bedtime routines right, particularly at the moment when normal life has been interrupted.
We are always happy to offer any support we can with your child's sleep patterns. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with your child's teacher if you'd like to chat about it with them.
Sleepy stories create a peaceful atmosphere, which you might find helpful as a part of a good bedtime routine. They encourage listening, rather than watching, which means no stimulating screens.
Again, you can access them through an app like New Horizons or Moshi, but many are available on Youtube.
Finally, here's an example of a mindfulness technique you could try out, which encourages relaxation and sleep: a body scan.
Remember that your wellbeing is important too - all of these techniques can be used to help you sleep, rest and feel better! There are many ways to access similar resources for adults- as always, get in touch to find out more.xx
Identifying Feelings
Mindfulness is all about recognising our thoughts and feelings in order to manage them more effectively.
In school we always begin with identifying happy and sad. If you have a look at our feelings page, there are loads of ideas about ways to do this.
In all of our classrooms we use visuals to support pupils to identify and express their feelings. You can explore emotions in more abstract ways too - looking at characters, colours, objects, sounds or images and thinking about what feelings they create.
Breathing and Relaxation Exercises
Breathing exercises are simple to try and help you to take a wee moment to relax.
Here are some instructions for breathing exercises you might be able to do with your child. You can repeat this as many times as you need.
We know that for lots of our children you might not get past the "sitting"! That's absolutely fine. Particularly with our younger learners it can feel like they never stop moving. Sitting in a cuddle together and matching your breathing to theirs is a gentle way to encourage stillness and relaxation.
There are lots of guided breathing exercises and meditations on Youtube. Here are a few that are easy to try at home.
Read the bubbles like a story, but instead of saying the words take a big or small breath.
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to exercise, to stretch out your body and to rest in lying and sitting poses.
A fun way to teach yoga to kids is to relate it to animals (most of the poses have animal names already!).
Cosmic Kids Yoga creates fun kids yoga videos (with familiar stories and characters). You can find them on Youtube.
Further Information
If you'd like to know more, feel free to ask your class teacher or get in touch with Heather through school.
There's more reading on these pages.