What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness means: the awareness of paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non -judgmentally, Jon Kabat-Zinn
Why is mindfulness important for young children?
Mindfulness can help children learn to calm their bodies and minds. This creates a relaxed, positive environment which can benefit behaviour, communication and emotional regulation. It can help children learn patience and explore feelings such as gratitude and kindness. Mindfulness approaches learnt as a child will always be there in later life to go back to!
What skills can mindfulness bring me as a teacher?
In the Pocket Guide to Mindfulness Pearson, Amy Malloy says ‘Mindfulness can help with paying attention, Focus and Concentration, Observation without judgement, acceptance and self- compassion, stress management and performance and productivity’.
How can mindfulness help young learners?
Research shows that regular mindfulness practice can help young learners’ emotional wellbeing, improve concentration, help positive sleep habits, enhance their ability to manage emotions and reduce psychological distress and give students strategies for staying calm in stressful or worrying situations. It can help children engage their attention so they are more aware of what is happening around them and so they learn better and develop mindful habits which could help them on their journey through life.
So where can we begin?
The first step to introducing mindfulness approaches in your classroom as a teacher is to begin to practice mindfulness yourself. It is widely accepted that “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. As teachers it is important to take care of yourself first and practicing mindfulness every day is one way to help. Another way can be to begin cultivating a mindful attitude into daily life and work at school. There are 9 'attitudes' involved in mindfulness: non-judging, patience, beginner's mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, letting go, gratitude and generosity. Being aware of these attitudes and finding ways to consciously integrate them into your teaching and daily lives can help achieve a happy classroom and at the same time enhance language learning.
Introducing breathing activities into the classroom
In her guide ‘Mindfulness Activities to help children cope with stress’ Amy Malloy, offers ideas to introduce Breathing activities in the primary classroom ‘helping them find a safety anchor inside themselves by helping children to focus on their breathing, we can teach them that even if things feel wobbly around them, their breath is always there. The act of focusing on the breath also helps settle the fight or flight branch of their nervous system into a calmer, more balanced state’
Finding your anchor
Having an anchor, a specific place to put one's attention, makes the instruction to breathe a lot more concrete for young children. When a child needs to take a deep breath in order to calm down. In the same way an anchor keeps a ship still in one place. Some children may find their breath is their anchor and listening to their breath in and out helps to “ground them. For some children it could be their feet on the floor or their hand or fingers. Finger breathing can help children use their hand as an anchor. Noticing their breath can help them focus and help attention.
Breathing boards
Breathing boards can be a useful tool to help children focus on their breath. Children draw around the shape with their finger breathing in, holding the breath, then breathing out while they do this their finger follows their breath. Training in ‘deep breathing’ can help children find calm and focus.
Drawing Breath
In her Pocket Guide to Happiness @ Pearson, Amy Malloy suggests a ‘Drawing your breath activity’. Students take a piece of paper or coloured card and choose a coloured pencil. Begin breathing in and out. Invite students to notice their breath, then at same drawing a line on a piece of paper for the breath in, and then changing the direction of the line for the breath out. Continue and observe the patterns that naturally form.
Children can change coloured pencil and continue the activity.
Hang the drawings on the wall.
Guided breathing activities with audio recordings to use in class
Simple meditation activities in English can help children practice bringing a gentle, accepting attitude to the present moment and to develop compassion, focus, curiosity and empathy. On the Pearson Experiences website you can find some meditation listening activities recorded by Amy Malloy to use in the primary classroom with instructions on how to use the activities. Remember it is important that students have the right posture, and are sitting upright with their back straight like a prince or princess and with their feet on the floor so they can feel the floor beneath their feet.
To download the audio recordings go to: click here
Noticing
One important element of mindfulness is ‘noticing’. Noticing means simply bringing your awareness to the present moment. Noticing can include being aware of an emotion, a thought, a bodily sensation, or another sensory experience, like a sound, a smell or a taste. Noticing means watching our experiences with openness, kindness, & without judgement.
Helping students to notice and raise attention or concentration levels can be a way of encouraging students to notice and be more aware of what is around them.
Curiosity: I have never seen this before
Look around the classroom and choose an object that looks interesting.
Look at the object. Imagine you’ve never seen it before. Is it interesting? What colours is it? Does the colour change in the light? Close your eyes or look at the ceiling. Feel the object. What does it feel like in your hands? Shake the object. What does it sound like when it moves? Look at the object again. Can you see anything different? Put the object away. Think about how you feel now. What did you learn?
If you would like to try some activities for mindful moments with your students, you can use the Mindful Moment Cards by Amy Malloy. These are a set of cut-out printables to keep with you in class as on-the-go prompts for the mindfulness exercises. The Mindful Moment Cards include; observation without judgment, Concentration, acceptance and curiosity.
The Mindful Moment Cards by Amy Malloy can be downloaded here: click here
Festivities – Valentine’s Day
Practicing Gratitude
Valentine’s Day can be a way of introducing the idea of “practicing gratitude”. Asking children to think about their lives and people that are important to them can be a way of making them more aware. Practicing gratitude and thinking about the small positives every day can be an effective way to help children feel happier and be more satisfied with their lives. One way to practice gratitude is to start ourselves as teachers to think of things we are grateful for, say them to ourself and then write them down. Gratitude, just like mindfulness, is something we need to practice. And the more we practice the more spontaneously grateful we may become. Gratitude as a keystone habit can help children in times of difficulty and to overcome hurt and disappointment. Ask the children to think of one thing they are thankful for or grateful for. You can also ask the children to look around the classroom and find something there they probably take for granted. You can help the children by telling them about things you are grateful for. This activity can be done in Italian and then the children can think of vocabulary in English.
On Valentine’s Day they can draw a heart and cut it out and write or draw something or someone they are grateful for. You can make a class poster with the hearts!
Helping children to think and notice how they feel when they think of positive things in their life can raise their awareness. Encourage children when they feel unhappy or tired to remember things that make them smile.
Practicing mindfulness can help us as teachers and our children learn to focus, manage stress, regulate emotions, and develop a positive outlook.
Jon Kabat Zin says ‘You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
To receive the Pocket guide to happiness in the classroom and the Pocket Guide to Mindfulness by Amy Malloy or information about Billy Bot Gold or Rise and Shine ask your Pearson/Sanoma representative.
Referenze iconografiche: © Photocreo Michal Bednarek/Shutterstock
