Mindfulness
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a meditation practice that begins with paying attention to breathing in order to focus on the present, instead of focusing on worries or concerns, what-ifs and may have-beens. Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.
- Mindfulness teaches kids to focus on the present. This can help them self-soothe.
- There are lots of ways to practice mindfulness, beyond breathing exercises.
- Being mindful can help kids build self-awareness and self-esteem.
Our Approach
For children, mindfulness exercises can help them to develop self-awareness, to pay better attention and to concentrate. Mindfulness can help children decrease anxiety, to calm down when upset or feeling out of control of a situation, and it can help children learn to handle overwhelming emotions more calmly. Our educators implement daily mindfulness time/experiences into the program to ensure all children have an opportunity to participate. These Mindfulness activities will be aimed at guiding the children to focus, be calm, breathe and listen to their body. Mindfulness sessions could be anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending upon the experience and interest. Some of these Mindfulness/meditation experiences include yoga, breathing exercises, sleep stories, body scans, mindful sounds, nature exploration, relaxation time, sensory bottles, bucket filling, stretching and heartbeat exercises.
