So today was the first day of mindfulness after school club for Thorpe Hesley Infants and Primary school. Our aim of the session was to explore our feelings and have an understanding that we all have feelings but they might be different to each other at times and that's okay. It was fantastic to see their openness and enthusiasm. We had our mindful glitter jar to help us understand that if we become aware of our feelings they can settle and we can think a little more clearly and feel calm. We practiced balloon breathing too which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. There were some fantastic sighs for the breathing out. The children were very honest about how the breathing made them feel and we looked at the fact that it can feel 'odd' sometimes as taking a few moments to breathe and be still is not something we usually do but all agreed it felt calming.
The benefits of mindfulness for kids are many and the earlier we begin to learn these skills the better as we can see. Children gain;
1. Increased focus, attention, self-control, classroom participation, compassion.
2. Improved academic performance, ability to resolve conflict, overall well-being.
3. Decreased levels of stress, depression, anxiety, disruptive behavior.
Here is the link from the World Mental Health day last year which was a wonderful day to share with the students of all ages.
Comments