Back to school means lots of change this year.
While this year is going to be a challenge for parents and teachers out there, kids may be the ones who need the most support in building their capacity to be resilient, adaptable, and grounded.
There are a variety of mindfulness activities on the Mindful site. These tips are from their free newsletter.
1) Make Mindfulness Fun
“When we teach kids mindfulness, it helps to turn the lesson into a fun activity—through play, movement, visualization, and games,” writes Christopher Willard. One way to teach kids to follow the breath in difficult moments is with this breath ball practice. All you need is an expandable ball called a Hoberman sphere or your own ten fingers to create a DIY sphere with your hands.
2) Notice Positive Moments
Mark Bertin says kids may feel stressed by a test, or a friend, or their parents and it can be hard to let go of that kind of thought. Like anything else, focusing on the good stuff can take a lot of practice. Here’s an eight-minute guided meditation for encouraging kids and teens to notice the positive.
3) Breathe
Wendy O’Leary also recommends breathing practices to calm your child’s nervous system. To try four square breathing, “breathe in for a count of four. Hold for a count of four. Breathe out for a count of four. Hold for a count of four. Do several rounds and return to normal breathing,” writes O’Leary.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash