What is Mindfulness?
A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present movement. In other words, being in the present time of touch, taste, smell, sound, and vision. Research suggests the mind can be used to change the brain. If we practice mindfulness daily we can train the brain to evolve to create new neuropathways. We must floss our minds every day to promote cognitive, physical and emotional wellness.
A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present movement. In other words, being in the present time of touch, taste, smell, sound, and vision. Research suggests the mind can be used to change the brain. If we practice mindfulness daily we can train the brain to evolve to create new neuropathways. We must floss our minds every day to promote cognitive, physical and emotional wellness.
Providing opportunities for and encouraging mindful practices early in life will increase healthy brain development and decreases chances of difficulties later on. Practicing mindfulness could be as simple as taking 2 minutes out of your day to focus on the now. Breathe deeply, smell the atmosphere around you, focus on the sounds you hear, feel the sensations on your finger tips. As an intern teacher I encouraged children to participate in mindfulness on a daily basis. We called this time Mindful Minutes, where children were quiet, focused on themselves, and relaxing their minds and bodies. Some mindful activities we engaged in include:
Videos:
-Guided relaxation
-Visual stories
-Yoga
-Guided relaxation
-Visual stories
-Yoga
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Mindful Sound Game:
-Children focus on a specific sound as it gets softer and softer (bell, rain stick, chimes, etc.)
Grounding Activities:
-Pretzel (cross arms, interlock finger, twist arms up and in, cross legs)
-Scalp Flick
-Finger Press
-Breathing (4-7-8: in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8; Blow feather across the table, Take pulse then practice deep belly breathing)
Other Strategies:
-B.A.T.S: B.A.T.S. stands for “Breathe, Ask yourself to count to ten, Think of your favorite place, and Say, "I'm okay. I can handle it!"
-The hand “C” circle: involves forming one hand into a “C” shape and tracing it with the index finger of the other hand. While performing this motion, the student repeats the phrase “Calm down. Control yourself.
-The “Zone of Regulation”: includes four different colours that each represent different stages of learning. Blue means moving slowly, green means ready to learn, yellow means loss of some control, and red means out of control. This strategy involves taking pictures of students in each state then posting them up in the correct coloured area. Students are able to see what their body looks like when they are ready to learn and when they are losing control.
-B.A.T.S: B.A.T.S. stands for “Breathe, Ask yourself to count to ten, Think of your favorite place, and Say, "I'm okay. I can handle it!"
-The hand “C” circle: involves forming one hand into a “C” shape and tracing it with the index finger of the other hand. While performing this motion, the student repeats the phrase “Calm down. Control yourself.
-The “Zone of Regulation”: includes four different colours that each represent different stages of learning. Blue means moving slowly, green means ready to learn, yellow means loss of some control, and red means out of control. This strategy involves taking pictures of students in each state then posting them up in the correct coloured area. Students are able to see what their body looks like when they are ready to learn and when they are losing control.
During snack children engaged in mindful eating practices to focus in on what their bodies were consuming and how they felt. I used the following poster as a visual to remind them daily what mindful eating entails.
During Mindful Minutes the leader of the day had the responsibility of filling in a letter in our 'Mindful Minutes' record poster (see picture below) after each completion of a mindful activity. Once the letters are all filled in the class receives a Mindfulness Reward! This reward could include a treat (popcorn, cookies, etc.), playing outside on the playground or a game of their choice, a class activity including a fun game, experiment or free time, etc.