Transcript Mindfulness for Children and Educators

Cheryl Anderson, RECE
Quality Child Care Initiative
Mindfulness
 When we are stressed, anxious or operating from a
fight-flight response, we are unable to access the
higher level “decision making” part of the brain
 Mindfulness helps us recognize what is happening
internally – helps us to pay attention, focus and
concentrate, how to listen and learn and how to be in
relationship with ourself and others – how to be
present in the moment
MIndfulness
 Introduce and practice mindfulness when child is in a
calm, regulated state, not when they are feeling stressed
 Mindfulness is an invitation not a requirement – it is not a
disciplinary tool
 Practice mindfulness during positive times; make it part of
the daily routine
 Best experienced then talk about it
Mindfulness
 Less is more
 Mindfulness for school-agers is all about how the adult
models it themselves
Mindfulness for Self
 Sit quietly for a few minutes each day
 Take a few moments to breathe before you start your
day
 Take a moment to feel the warmth of the sun on your
face
 Walk from your car to work mindfully with all of your
attention focused on the bottom of your feet
 Keep a mindfulness journal
Let’s Try It!
 Time to Breathe
 Giant Strides
 Making Rain Movement
 Human Camera
Mindfulness for the Children
 Counting Sounds (a mindful walking practice)
 Time to breathe (sometimes called Tuza which means to
“slow down and chill” in one of the local dialects in
Rwanda)
 Rainbow walk
 Tense and Let Go
 Body Scan
ABC’S (ages 5-7)
In life it helps to remember our ABC’s . This is especially
true when things are difficult. So when things are
difficult, keep these ABC’s in mind:
 A is for attention. Sometimes it is helpful just to stop
and pay attention to our
 B is for breath. Usually when we pay attention to our
breath it is easier to
 C is for choose. When we stop and pay attention to our
breath, then sometimes we can make a kind choice, a
choice that is kind to us and kind to others.
A Still Quiet Place, Amy Saltzman
STAR (ages 8 – 12)
You may find this STAR practice helpful when you are
feeling stressed (taking a test, doing homework) or
dealing with another difficulty
 S is for stop. When you are faced with a difficulty, like a
question on a test that you don’t know the answer to,
or a challenge with a peer, stop.
 T is for take a breath. Usually taking a few, slow
breaths releases the mind and allows us to..
 A is for accept. Accept that you are having difficulty,
and that you are a bit stressed or frustrated or….
 R is for restart or resume. When you are ready, after
you have taken some slow deep breaths and accepted
how you are feeling, you can restart and work on the
problem again (alone or with assistance from another)
A Still Quiet Place, Amy Saltzman