Lesson ResourcesI firmly believe that both mindfulness and gratitude should become a practice, something that is regularly integrated into every day activities. As such, I have included a bunch of resources and mini-activities that will help to do this rather than one-two full lessons.
Mindfulness Activities
Talk About the Brain - Kids are incredibly interested in how their brains work. I also find that talking about behaviour in terms of brain activity is a great equalizer. Kids tend to personalize less if they think of what's happening as a brain-activity instead of something they're doing "wrong." With mindfulness I really like to talk about how the brain is very full of thoughts and when we practice mindfulness we are calming those thoughts down. Noticing they exist but not trying to solve them.
Mindfulness Meditation - I will be entirely honest, meditation was not something I was always comfortable with. I have found though that mindfulness meditation is really non-threatening because it is non-denominational. It isn't about faith, but rather noticing your feelings, thoughts and senses. It is also a great way to enjoy a little quiet. One of my favourite resources to use with my students is a set of little cards called Growing Mindful: Mindfulness Practices for All Ages. There are a lot of great short activities to help kids visualize and quiet their brains.
The Senses - Another version of meditation, spending a little time noticing the senses is a really great way to build mindfulness. Some use a graphic organizer or even a blank piece of paper and students are asked to show what they see, smell, taste, hear and feel. Some kids find it much easier to express what they're thinking on paper rather than to internalize all if it.
Gratitude Activities
Quotes - I find quotes to be particularly meaningful for me and often help students to think about a subject in a slightly different way. Try putting up a quote on the SMART board and having students draw everything that comes to mind based on that quote. This is a super basic activity that can be changed for your group of students. My students really love to act things out, so I would have them think about the quote, pair up to discuss, and then act something out that has to do with that quote. Here are a few of my favourite gratitude quotes:
Photo Challenge - This activity adds a little bit of extra technology to the classroom. Give students a list of general things that one could be grateful for. Have them take an iPad or iPod touch and search around the school for as many of these things as possible. This could also be a longer activity and have students take a picture of something each day for a month that they're grateful for. I have included one example but there are many out there!
Gratitude Journal - The most effective way to practice gratitude is through daily reminders. A gratitude journal is simply a place for students to record what they are grateful for each day. Sometimes this could be a longer journal entry, but other days it could be a quick picture or jot note. The daily reminder of how blessed we are can really help!
Gratitude Wall - Another great daily reminder for your gratitude practice is a gratitude wall! Set up a place in the room where students can be encouraged to place something they're grateful for on a sticky note and place it on the wall. That visual, community-driven reminder is very powerful.
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Additional ResourcesMindfulness Resources
A fantastic resource, created and fostered right here in Southern Alberta is mindfulchild.info. The site includes tons of research and information as well as many links, recordings and videos for a variety of age groups. I have included one of my favourite videos below.
Another resource I use a lot for my own personal mindfulness practice, is Headspace. My favourite part of Headspace is the animations, which really have helped me and my students understand our brains and our mindfulness practice better. Headspace is a subscription service but their "Take 10" program is free. It offers ten 10 minute meditations to get a feel for mindfulness. Its a great jumping off point for your own, or your students' mindfulness beginnings. Check it out here. Their animations are all available on YouTube here.
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