As we try to manage these uncertain times and make sense of the changing world around us, practising mindfulness is an incredibly important part of supporting our wellbeing and helping us to work through our big feelings. Mindfulness is a bit of a ‘buzz term’ right now in early childhood education, but what does it really mean?
Our friends at Zero to Three have a great definition:
“When parents and children are feeling big emotions, it’s good to find some calm. Mindfulness is noticing what’s going on outside – and inside – of us with acceptance and kindness. As mindful parents and educators, we can be curious and open to understanding what our children are feeling and experiencing.”
Being able to practice mindfulness is really also about self-management and the ability to work through feelings and emotions in a way that allows us to acknowledge our current state without getting stuck there for too long. As a parent myself, I’ve grown more and more aware of the importance of supporting my children to engage in simple mindfulness activities. The basic act of re-centering themselves in times of overwhelm can be incredibly empowering for children as they are able to learn that they can have control over their emotions and ‘how’ they feel them. Once learnt, mindfulness practise not only becomes a way to reconnect with our children during the tricky times, it also becomes a way for them to grow resiliency skills through knowing that they can work through big emotions and to get to a place of calm.
So, what does mindfulness practise look like for our tiny learners?
Well, first and foremost (and perhaps the most challenging part of it all!) – we, as adults, need to be calm so that we can share that calm with the children in our care. Easier said than done when emotions are high, meltdowns are in process and we may have ‘missed’ the opportunity to repair relationship ruptures. The reality is, calm spreads calm. As Air NZ would say, we have to be able to put our own oxygen masks on first before we can assist anyone else. Same goes for dealing with the big emotions that come with caring for our tiniest learners.
Once we’re calm and ready to support our children, there are a lot of different mindfulness techniques we can adopt to try and help them to regulate their emotions and find their own calm. Learning these skills from a young age is so important as they are skills that will stick with them throughout life. Things like deep belly breathing during times of anxiety or stress become instinctive when practised often enough. Here are some mindfulness ideas to use with children:
Balloon Breath
In this practice, use deep breathing and movement together to calm your mind and body. Show how to do it and have your child copy you.
– You can sit or stand up.
– Place both hands on top of your head.
– Begin to breathe in and out slowly. As you inhale, raise your arms above your head, like you are blowing up a balloon. When your lungs are full of air, your arms should look like a big, round balloon on top of your head.
– As you exhale, slowly bring your hands toward your head. Do your best to match the timing of your inhale with raising your arms up and the timing of your exhale with bringing your arms back down.
– Try to deepen your breath with each inhale as you’re able.
– Continue with this breath and arm movement 2-4 more times.
– On the last breath, press your lips together and blow the air out, making a silly sound like a horse.
Five senses exercise
Engaging our senses helps us focus on the present moment. Notice how you and your child are feeling as you begin. Then, together with your child:
– Notice five things that you can see. Look around you. Notice and name five things that you can see.
– Notice four things that you can feel. Tune in to your sense of touch. Notice and describe the texture of four things you can touch.
– Notice three things you can hear. Listen carefully. Notice and name three sounds you hear in your environment.
– Notice two things you can smell. Notice and name two smells you recognize.
– Notice one thing you can taste. Focus and name one thing that you can taste right now. You can take a sip or bite of something, or simply notice the current taste in your mouth.
How are you and/or your child feeling now? Do you feel more connected to your surroundings and the present moment?
Calming Glitter Bottle
Create your own glitter bottle and enjoy the calm as you watch the glitter settle. This has been a favourite mindfulness resource with our educators as they’ve worked to transition children back to care following lockdown. See some guidance below for how to create your own.
Make your own calming glitter bottle:
– Find a plastic bottle or jar.
– Fill the jar ⅛ to ¼ full with glue (use clear glue if you can). The more glue, the slower the objects will settle after shaking.
– Add 1-2 tablespoons of glitter. A small funnel is very helpful for this step.
– Fill the bottle the rest of the way with very warm water.
– Add food coloring (optional).
– Glue the cap on the bottle. Let the bottle rest to allow sealing glue to fully harden or the bottle may leak. You could use hot glue for a stronger seal.
Once the cap on the bottle is dry, shake it and watch the glitter fall gently to the bottom. Notice how your mind and body feel before, during, and after this activity.
When we shake up a glitter bottle, the water becomes cloudy with all the contents swirling around quickly. We can think about our emotions swirling like this when we are worrying, angry or stressed.
As we watch the little bits of glitter fall slowly to the bottom, we become calmer. When we sit quietly and watch the settling, we give ourselves time and space to regain a sense of control and ease. Watching the glitter engages our senses and brings us into the present moment.
Seeing how the water becomes clear when all the contents are resting quietly also reflects our ability to see more clearly when we are in this calm state.
Check out the picture above of one of our tiny learners watching her own calming glitter bottle with concentration and wonder. It’s a great activity that’s also focused around play and creativity.
Give it a go!
So, go on and embrace the art of being mindful with your tiny learners. While it might take a lot practise for them to understand how they can control their emotions and re-centre themselves when they have big feelings, once they have mastered it they will have a tool kit of coping strategies that will help them get through the tricky times. Growing great resilience starts here.
Arohanui mai,
The Tiny Nation support team
Want to know more? The above mindfulness activities come from a Zero to Three article on mindfulness practise for families. You can read it in full by CLICKING HERE.