Mindful Living Littles wi th
Seven simple 3-minute mindfulness exercises
plus meditations, movement activities & books for practicing mindfulness with your little ones
a guide from Teacher Gabby
First , a story . . . One day, during a project, a little and I are inching our way towards POWER BATTLE LAND. I ask her for what seems like the tenth time to refrain from touching something. I absolutely lose my patience and excuse her from the project by pulling her chair out from the table. She flings herself onto the floor exorcist style and starts scream-crying. At this point, I get up and walk away, in need of a second to regroup. What does my little friend do?
“ Te a c h e r Ga b by . Ta ke d e e p b re a t h s !” I turn around to see her pointing her frustrated toddler finger at me.
“ Te a c h e r Ga b by . Ta ke d e e p b re a t h s !” Over and over she repeats the mantra we’d been working on in class. I sigh. She is right. I return to my little friend and sit down, doing my best to take my own advice and relax a little bit. Littles learn so quickly. This moment helped me realize the importance of daily mindfulness practice. Not only in the classroom, but at home too.
Hello there! My name is Teacher Gabby. I’ve been an educator for the better part of about five years now. It’s been a process that I’m proud to call my own: full of mistakes, amazingly awesome art projects, and lots of trying again. However, it wasn’t until this past year that I started to really dip my toes into mindfulness. What is mindfulness you ask? Glad you did. According to the dictionary’s first definition, mindfulness is: the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. In my mind, it’s the act of showing up to the present moment. It’s also your brains way of self-regulating your feelings so you don’t leak all over the place when things get tricky. As a teacher, I came to mindfulness seeking relief from the everyday shenanigans of toddler land, hoping to find a way to get my littles to self regulate better and if I was lucky, learn how to breathe. So often I get questions from parents asking about self regulation at school versus at home: Why will they nap for you but not me? How come at home Sally May breaks down when I ask her to tie her own shoes? While I certainly don’t have all the answers nor do I think mindfulness will solve every problem, I have found it to be a great system of support for parents and their growing littles. I created this guide to give parents a little peek into what mindfulness support can look like at home in a way that is thoughtful of time, resources, and accessibility. The seven 3 minute mindfulness practices can be used and recycled or you can dive a little deeper into each topic and switch the practices up as necessary. Not all exercises will work for all, but most of them can be modified in a way to meet your little’s needs. Please enjoy! And remember: take deep breaths.
Using this Guide page 5 The science behind meditation & mindfulness page 6 Explaining mindfulness to littles page 7 Mindfulness support & resources page 30
1
Inside & Outside
our internal/external worlds page 8
2
Mindful Eating
bringing mindfulness to the table page 12
Attention
3
strengthen the focus muscle page 14
4
Bedtime
routine & relaxation page 17
5
Integration & Self Regulation tools for self-soothing page 20
Flexibility
6
manage expectations page 24
7
Community
peaceful connection page 27
How does this guide work? The guide offers seven 3-minute mindfulness practices. Explore the lessons with your little in a daily or weekly practice. You can adjust, modify, or repeat as necessary to meet your little’s needs. If you wish to dive deeper into a particular subject because it’s a tricky area for your little, there are additional exercises and resources provided. Happy meditating!
IN E ACH LESSON YOU ’ LL FIND :
ACCES S IB I L I T Y •
The goal of this guide is to provide you with easily accessible &
a 3 minute practice
free tools that can be integrated into daily life. •
Throughout this guide links point to free online video and tex t resources.
a meditation
•
Projects and activity suggestions should be accessible nearly anywhere with little to no material cost.
•
All books are accessible through the Multnomah
a movement activity
County Library. •
At the end you will f ind more resources oriented towards adults and families to help suppor t
a suggested book
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your little’s mindful future.
Curious about the science behind meditation & mindfulness? This quick 4 minute video briefly explains the brain science behind mindfulness.I highly recommend it because it’s pretty neat to see how our brains work. Mindfulness and how the brain works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNCB1MZDgQA
Mindfulness and how the brain works
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Explaining mindfulness to your littles
A MYGDA L A
“The Jumpy Superhero” Tries to protect us at all costs, but often mistakes stress for real
HIPPO CA MP US
threats and stops the Prefrontal Cortex from getting the information
“The Librarian”
it needs to help us make good choices.
The Hippocampus stores
When the Amygdala is calm, it gives
and recalls memories. When
the “The Smart One” what it needs.
the Amygdala is upset, poor Hippocampus cannot store memories or properly bring them to mind.
PR EFRON TA L CORT E X
“The Smart One” Figures out stuff for us and helps us make good, well balanced choices. The Prefrontal Cortex also sends and retrieves memories to and from the Hippocampus. When the Amygdala is upset, the Prefrontal Cortex cannot help us.
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Mindfulness helps us to calm down, and this, in turn, calms the amygdala so that is allows the information flow to the prefrontal cortex—that part of our brains that helps us make good choices. When we’re calm, we can more easily be mindful and make good choices.
This information was sourced from Blissful Kids. www.blissfulkids.com
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Inside & Outside ‘ F L IP YO U R PA N C A K E ’
When working on mindfulness with your little, using a concrete visual, such as a pancake, can help
Let’s begin by exploring the idea of our internal/
bridge the gap between
external worlds. Learning how to notice what
and the real physical world.
abstract mental concepts
you’re feeling and also relate back to the world
If we are having a rough day
at large is a huge skill that takes a lot of practice
to get burned on one side,
and our pancake is starting
to accomplish. This is the starting point for all
we can f lip it over to cook
mindfulness work. Before we can learn to “flip
fresh. In this way, mindfulness
our pancake,� we first have to learn what kind
the other side and start practices become tangible.
of pancake we even have in the first place. đ&#x;˜Š 3 MINU T E P R ACT I CE For today’s 3 minute practice, take a minute with yourself or your little to name your “internal weather.â€? How are you feeling in this moment? Happy? Sad? Lethargic from a big lunch? Whatever it is, f ind a name for it. Then help them practice naming things outside of themselves in your immediate surroundings. An example of this could be going on a walk and naming the things they see such as trees or cars. Or try doing it where ever you are!
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Inside & Outside M E D I TAT I O N
This meditation is a great way to help your little connect to their body. Have them lie down and put a hand on their belly. Ask them to breathe deeply and make their belly nice and full on the inhale, exhaling completely. Have them imagine a tiny spark of light in their belly and help them to imagine it growing, expanding through each body par t. Once the light has covered their entire body, ask them to take a few more deep breaths and star t to notice the air on their skin and any sounds in the room. Have them wiggle f ingers and toes to return to the present moment.
MOV EMEN T
Spend some time getting to know your body! Have your little place a hand on each body par t, naming it as they go. For an added challenge, try isolating those specif ic body par ts with movement. For example, wiggling your big toe or moving just the pelvis.
BOOK
I am Yoga by Susan Verde New York Times bestselling illustrator Peter H. Reynolds teams up with author and cer tif ied Yoga instructor Susan Verde in this book about creativity and the power of self-expression. I Am Yoga encourages littles to explore the world of Yoga and make room in their hear ts for the world beyond it.
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Inside & Outside CA LM D OW N GLI T T ER J A R A calm down glitter jar is a cheap and easy way to illustrate why we need self regulation! You def initely can’t see through a glitter storm. You’ll need a jar or old plastic water bottle that is transparent, clear Elmer’s Glue, hot water, food dye, and lots of f ine glitter. To use, shake up the bottle and practice taking deep breaths while the glitter settles. After a few breaths, have your little name their feelings. This might be a great time to have feelings cards or a wheel char t (mentioned below) ready so that your little has a visual to help them. For step-by-step instructionals visit: https://preschoolinspirations.com/6-ways-tomake-a-calm-down-jar/
FEELINGS W HEEL / FEELINGS CA R DS Creating a feelings wheel or feelings cards for your little to point to when they are having big feelings or need some help naming how they’re doing. Littles are much more likely to respond to visuals than to words. An example would be printing out faces to represent cer tain feelings with the corresponding word beneath such as sad, angry, silly, etc. Cards can be kept in a purse or an easy to access location to be used as needed.
MINDFU L LISTENING
Similar to the 3 minute looking activity, spend time naming all thesounds you and your little hear in a room. You could also do this with an app that makes sounds, such as instruments or animal noises if you wanted to make it extra fun.
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Inside & Outside M I N D F U L N E S S S C AV E N G E R H U N T
Fur ther explore the tactile senses by going on a texture scavenger hunt! See how many different kinds of textures you can f ind! Alternately, f ind things with fun textures like feathers or brushes and see which feel the best. You can also do this with all the senses.
S C E N T M E D I TAT I O N
Use household items such as soap, spices, and fruits to do a smell meditation. Have your little pick out what smells they’re interested in and mindfully engage with each one. Ask how each smell makes them feel. You could also use things like essential oils, fresh laundry, or home cooked meals, whatever is available!
L E A R N I N G TO B R E AT H E If your little is still learning how to breathe, teach them with the f lower/candle exercise. This is ideal for friends who are unable to f ind their breath when they are feeling really upset. You can ask your little to imagine there’s a beautiful f lower to smell, having them inhale the imaginary scent, and then for the exhale, blow out an imaginary candle! You don’t need anything but imagination and this exercise can be done anywhere.
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2
Mindful Eating H OW I TS M A D E
A great way to introduce mindful eating is to talk about where the food your little is eating came from or how it was made. For example, apple juice is made out of apples which were
How do you get littles to eat their vegetables?
farmed and collected and shipped. The
It’s a common question I hear from parents.
and a mushy inside, were crushed to
The answer? Teachers are magical. ;)
apples, which have a stem, seeds, skin, collect the juice which was sent out to us! To grow the apples, the farmer
But here are some ideas that might help
had to plant the seeds, water them
our little get more comfortable with
soil. You could then say that apples
mindful eating and trying new foods.đ&#x;˜Š
carefully, and provide enough sun and are a fruit and provide certain kinds of nutrients for us to grow. This can help your little invite curiosity about food rather than judgment.
3 MINU T E P R ACT I CE For today’s three minute practice, offer your little a piece of something nutritious and delicious and then invite them to eat with their senses! A great example would be a piece of fruit. Ask your little to engage with the food slowly by f irst observing and smelling it, then tasting it. How does it feel in their mouth? It is sour or sweet? What’s the texture like? Ask them to take a bite and swallow. What was the experience like? If you or your little have a tendency to eat food quickly without thinking (don’t we all?), you might try to do a counting meditation while eating. See how many bites it takes to f inish something mindfully vs. when you’re rushing. Which way does it taste better? For a full break down on this activity, try this example: http://blissfulkids.com/mindfulnessmeditation-for-children-raisin-meditation/
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Mindful Eating M E D I TAT I O N An easy meditation to try with older littles is to have them compare the taste of candy and fruit bite by bite. This meditation may take a bit longer, but is an interesting explanation of how processed sugar changes our taste buds! First, have your little take a bite of candy, making sure to eat mindfully and slowly like in the 3 minute practice. Ask them how it felt to eat it, what their mouth feels like, and how sweet it was. Then have them do the same with a piece of fruit, observing the fruit. Does it taste the same as the piece of candy? Is it sweeter? More bland? Try the candy again and continue to compare results.
MOV EMEN T Poses such as cat cow, puppy pose, bridge pose, and happy baby are great at stimulating your guts! They’re also poses that are accessible anywhere with lots of modif ications available as needed for comfor t. Try these after a large meal or dinner with your little to get that digestion going!
BOOK
No Ordinary Apple by Sara Marlowe On an otherwise ordinary day, Elliot discovers something extraordinary: the power of mindfulness. When he asks his neighbor Carmen for a snack, he’s at f irst disappointed when she hands him an apple - he wanted candy! But when encouraged to carefully and attentively look, feel, smell, taste, and even listen to the apple, Elliot discovers that this apple is not ordinary at all.
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3
Attention TO E TA P P IN G T IP
If your little is seeming really distracted or having a hard time focusing during meditation, have them practice focusing
We all know how difficult keeping your
their attention on their big toes while they breath. Sometimes
attention on anything can be. We live in a
just wiggling the big toe can
busy world that asks us to multi-task
enough to allow space for
help our minds to focus just
frequently while also being up to date on
relaxation and calmness. This
social media happenings. One of the best
littles that like a challenge and
things you can do for your little is to help
one may be really good for have trouble settling.
them develop their attention muscle!
3 MINU T E P R ACT I CE For today’s 3-minute practice take some time with your little to notice your breathing! You will need a favorite stuffed toy and a place to lie down. Have your little f ind a comfor table place to lie down and place the toy on their tummy. Count to three, having your little f ill their belly with air. Tell them they’ll see their toy rise up, up, up with their tummy. Have them exhale and watch their toy go down. Continue this process for about ten breaths and check in with your little at the end. Do they feel different than when they star ted? Are they calmer?
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Attention M E D I TAT I O N
Using sound for meditation engages listening skills. If you have access to a singing bowl or chimes, have your little f ind a calm and comfor table seat somewhere quiet. Ask your little to listen to the sound and slowly fold forward to touch the ground as it dissipates until the sound has stopped fully. You could also do this with a simple instrument or meditation / chimes / sound effect app. This listening practice is great for engaging our attention.
MOV EMEN T A movement practice of steady gaze can be really effective for studying attention. Have your little practice a balance pose such as tree pose. First have them try with no intentional gaze. Then place something on a wall (like a picture with tape) or f ind something unique about the room (a poster? A decorative item?) and have your little practice keeping their eyes on it while they practice the pose. Ask them how each way felt? Was one way easier? The same? Focusing our attention helps us to f ind balance and ease in our practice!
BOOK
Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snel Simple mindfulness practices to help littles (ages 5-12) deal with anxiety, improve concentration, and handle diff icult emotions.
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Attention E Q U A L PA R T S B R E AT H
Lie down with your little and tell them that they will be practicing breathing in three par ts! From the bottom of the tummy, the middle of the tummy, and the lungs! Have them star t by noticing their breathing and then slowly guide them to take slow, even breaths in each section of the tummy, exhaling fully at the end. Sometimes the addition of a task (trying to keep the breath even and within the different sections) can help focus a chatty mind!
B R I N G I N T H E I M A G I N AT I O N
An ar t exploration of breath can be a great way to engage ar tistic littles. For a step by step of the activity, follow this link: http://creativityintherapy.com/2017/08/drawing-your-breath-amindful-art-exercise/
S TO R Y T E L L I N G W I T H M O V E M E N T Yoga can be great for focusing the attention while integrating physical movement for littles who are high energy and active, or maybe more sensory oriented. Pinterest is a great resources for f inding small sequences, pose ideas, or even creative ways to engage! I f ind that storytelling or using whatever is creatively capturing a little in the moment really helps to bring their focus towards the activity! For example, you might do a yoga session based around construction vehicles or a favorite movie!
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4
Bedtime C A L M T HE S EN S ES
If your little is seeming really distracted or having a hard time falling asleep, try adapting the environment to create a sleepy
Bedtime. Whether its nailing down a routine
mood. This could include dimming
or just being relaxed enough to rest, helping
music, and potentially using some
the lights, playing soft soothing
your little to understand the importance of
kind of aromatherapy spray to
resting and recharging is HUGE! Our world
spray can be made by combining a
induce sleep. The aromatherapy
is constantly buzzing and littles especially
few drops of an essential oil with
receive all kinds of stimulus all day long.
container. Lavender, chamomile,
How do we turn off our minds, our bodies,
little friendly essential oils that can
and just let things rest?
some water into a small spray and sweet orange are a couple of aid with sleepiness. Any number of calming smells will work, however.
3 MINU T E P R ACT I CE
Today’s 3 minute practice will be a practice of turning energy on and off in our bodies. In this meditation, you will be using your breathe and attention to activate and release par ticular muscles. For littles, it’s easiest to keep it simple such as the toes, hands, legs, and other larger body par ts. As they get older, this meditation can get more nuanced and include smaller muscular groups. This helps your little with the knowledge that they have control over their bodies! Check out this link for a specif ic shor t guided meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZP-TMr984s
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Bedtime M E D I TAT I O N
Guided meditations and soft meditation music can be an excellent way to get littles to wind down. At the end of this ar ticle on the benef its of meditation for littles are a ton of guided meditations as well as calming meditation music. You can use these in a yoga practice, as a way to calm down during intense moments, or at bedtime: https://www.mindvalleyacademy.com/blog/mind/ meditation-for-kids. Additional bedtime meditations can be found on Cory’s Conscious Living channel: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=m5oaXxCZw-0
MOV EMEN T Several great poses that can be done nearly anywhere that can be relaxing to the nervous system. Legs up the wall with your back on the f loor helps to settle nerves and prepare the body for rest. A suppor ted child’s pose with a pillow under the torso can also be very relaxing before bed. Try a few out with your little before bedtime and see which ones help you both to feel sleepy!
BOOK
Good Night Yoga by Mariam Gates For parents and caregivers looking for a fun and effective new routine for bedtime, innovative educator Mariam Gates presents Good Night Yoga, a playful yet wholly practical book for preparing for sleep.
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Bedtime S T I C K TO A R I T U A L
One of the most impor tant tenants of bedtime is ritual. Littles crave ritual and making sure that ritual is consistent and calming at night helps prime the nervous system for sleep. You might create your own ritual at bed whether it’s a daily ref lection, meditation, or prayer. What will you both call it? Here is a great ar ticle on the impor tance of ritual and ref lection at bed time: http://leftbrainbuddha.com/bedtime-ritual-help-thanks-wow/
U S E S TO R Y B O O K T I M E F O R M I N D F U L T E A C H I N G
Another great way to incorporate mindfulness in your end of the day wind down is to pick out books that ref lect the mindfulness practices you are working on with your little. You can use any of the suggested books or f ind your own! Many are available at the library or available used on sites like Amazon.
H E L P YO U R L I T T L E C O M M U N I C AT E P R E F E R E N C E S
Another great way to connect with your little and help them discover self soothing is to ask how they want to be put to bed. Do they like their feet uncovered? Do they like a soft or f irm pat? How about head scratches? This helps your little feel like they have choice in bed time practices as well as identifying what soothes their body.
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Integration & Self Regulation P RO CES S IN G
I’ve found that creativity tends to be a great outlet for many littles in terms of self regulation but
All the work you’ve been doing up to this
not all littles are artistically
point is leading towards the idea of internal/
to see what activities
external integration for you and your little—
motivated so get curious work best for your little.
also known as self regulation. Once we’re aware of our internal state and have the ability to be attentive to it, we can then start to help ourselves when we start to get agitated or feel more muted.
3 MINU T E P R ACT I CE After we’ve stregthened our connection to our bodies, it’s time to start working on regulation. Begin this practice by helping your little determine how they’re feeling (or maybe in some cases observe how they are feeling and gently guide them to name their feelings). If they are feeling low energy or sad, offer a short sun salutation to boost energy and focus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYYj4ZvpGRo). Bring their focus to the inhales during this practice to cultivate warmth. If they’re feeling high energy and amped, offer restorative poses such as lying down with knees hugged to the chest, legs up the wall, or happy baby. Bring their focus to the exhales, seeking softness in each pose. Encourage your little to hold poses for 30 seconds to a minute.
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Integration & Self Regulation M E D I TAT I O N
My favorite tool in the classroom right now is called Take Five! It’s a simple meditative way to engage littles in breathing and self soothing with a fun twist. I f ind it works well even if the little is just watching me do it! Follow this link to see how this exercise is done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh79w9pn9Cg
MOV EMEN T
Cross body integration is another way to incorporate movement and works on the integration of our logical/emotional brain. These are movements that go through the mid line of the body or challenge balance. Try a one arm opposite leg plank, tree pose, or seated eagle arms!
BOOK
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Maclean Sometimes life seems like it’s all about hurrying—so many places to go! And sometimes it’s hard when things don’t go your way--it can make a piggy angry and sad. So how do young piggies f ind a peaceful place in a frustrating world? They meditate!
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Integration & Self Regulation WITH A T WIST
Another cross body exercise for self regulation and integration is the pretzel exercise. Have your little twist their arms together (like eagle pose in yoga) and cross their legs. Then have them take f ive deep breaths to relax. Here is Dr. Becky Bailey narrating the exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh9mX2e6b14
ANIMAL BR AIN An easy to way to explain the phenomenon of f ight, f light, freeze is to talk about our animal brain f lipping its lid! When we feel really sad, angry, or too stimulated, our animal brain f lips on and our thinking cap f lies off! When our thinking cap is off, we might say things we don’t mean or react to things out of fear instead of responding the way we want to. How do we put our thinking cap back on? What helps to soothe our “animal brain?” What kind of compassionate self talk can we implement to help calm ourselves?
INNER WOR LD A great way to explore your little’s inner world is through coloring and creative exploration. Get some crayons, markers, colored pencils, whatever your little prefers, and some paper. Sit down and ask your little what the different colors make them think of. Then have them draw a picture of how they’re feeling using those colors. Drawing can help your little express and transform how they are feeling internally in a creative way!
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Integration & Self Regulation FEELINGS CA R DS OR W HEEL Help your little with self assessment by offering them emotion cards or a feelings wheel! Cards can be kept in a bag or purse and are easily accessible on the go while the feelings wheel might be a useful tool for at home. Littles who might not have the words yet to describe what they are feeling can then practice pointing to a card during a diff icult moment to communicate. You can f ind many easy instructionals online to create your own!
L I O N ’ S ( D R A G O N ’ S ) B R E AT H In yoga, there is a breathing pattern called Lion’s Breath but at school we like things magical so we call it Dragon’s Breath. You star t by inhaling through the nose and then sticking out your tongue, exhale loudly while directing your gaze crosswise up towards your forehead. It makes you look pretty silly, but the littles love it! This breathing is good for releasing our “steam” and letting heat out of the body when we are feeling all riled up!
C A L M I N G D O W N M E D I TAT I O N
For a simple guided meditation, try this one called Whirly Burly Snowstorm by Cosmic Kids Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=nqQN4ugzj_g. This meditation uses the metaphor of a snowstorm to help littles calm their whirling thoughts! Be sure to check out the other yoga practices and guided meditations from this channel!
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Flexibility P R AC T I CE G EN T LY
Our mindfulness practices idealy will help us feel like we’re replacing a small suitcase with something larger, rather than
Some days your little won’t want to do
stuff ing in another shirt to something that’s too full already.
what you have planned, sometimes their
Some days we can practice
emotional needs require adjusting a
Sometimes when I am trying
actively, and some days we can’t.
practice, or some days you won’t have the
to be mindful on a regular basis,
energy to think about it after that long to do
“could, would, should” when I
list. Be patient with yourself and your little.
start to feel this way, it may be
Power battles are easy to fall into, but in the
I can start to use words like talk to myself. If you or your little time to think about f lexibility!
end no one wins if you’re both riled.
3 MINU T E P R ACT I CE Take a minute to identify a disappointment in the day with your little. Work together to f igure out what expectations lead to that disappointment and what the resulting feeling was (i.e. I wanted to go to the park but we didn’t have enough time and I felt sad). Brainstorm with your little ways to offer themselves and/or others they might be frustrated/angry with compassion. When your little faces a disappointment, narrate the moment and help them f ind the language to describe their experience. This is empowering and helps littles build emotional autonomy and resilience.
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Flexibility M E D I TAT I O N
It can be fun and useful for your little to have them pick an activity and “practice” doing it mindfully by imagining doing the task! Have them describe what it feels like to be doing the activity successfully and how they feel when they imagine completing it. Though visualization doesn’t always guarantee success, it can help us f low through something diff icult with a little more compassion for ourselves and others.
MOV EMEN T
Yoga poses that challenge literal f lexibility like butter f ly pose or a seated forward fold can help us cultivate f lexibility in the body and in the mind. Being in poses that challenge f lexibility also can help us to practice being in discomfor t (not pain) and notice different sensations within the body. All of these stretches can be modif ied depending on you and your littles levels of f lexibility! Star t where you are comfor table and use any kind of suppor t (like a bolster or a pillow, whatever you have) available to you.
BOOK
Meditation is an Open Sky by Whitney Stewar t Littles of any age will discover how to feel safe when scared, relax when anxious, spread kindness, and calm anger when frustrated. Simple, secular, and mainstream, this mindfulness book is an excellent tool for helping littles deal with the stresses of everyday life and improve emotional health.
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Flexibility S.T.A.R.
Dr. Becky Bailey has some great tools for responding in the moment with compassion and loving kindness. Her video on the S.T.A.R. concept can help us to take a breathe and relax before we approach any situation: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=qDqOG0RIiSE – S.T.A.R.
R E W O R K I N G E X P E C TAT I O N
Another way to work with expectation is to assess what a good day would look like for you or your little and then check in with yourself or little periodically to see if a reassessment needs to be made. Maybe things aren’t going exactly the way you had planned, how do you work with what you do have? For example, if time is what you’re lacking for self care, what’s 3 minutes of something healthy that can be done? Something both nutritious and realistic?
•
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Community IN R EL AT I O N S HIP
Mindfulness helps us to cultivate loving kindness and compassion for others in our world.
As we practice mindfulness we get the opportunity to take it out in the world and into our communities. Maybe you take some time to volunteer with your little or spend quality family time together doing something you enjoy. Get creative! We practice mindfulness first for ourselves, but also so that we can gather together peacefully with those in our community.
3 MINU T E P R ACT I CE
Sit back to back with your little and take a minute to just breathe together. Ask your little what they feel physically and emotionally when you’re done. Have your little do this with other impor tant people in their life.
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Community M E D I TAT I O N A great end of the day bed time community practice is to do a loving kindness meditation. This meditation can help your little to contextualize people they love outside of themselves. In this meditation, you help your little send loving kindness to another person which, in turn, can help to soothe them. Fur ther instructions can be found here: http://blissfulkids.com/mindfulness-for-children-loving-kindness-sendingkind-thoughts/ or a shor t youtube version here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=YRwQrzogy-g
MOV EMEN T For today’s movement, try doing a some fun acro yoga with your little. It’s a good way to include your little in your practice, and get some much needed time in yourself. This video has an example of littles doing these poses, but many can also be done with adults: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=iBcZ2GdgB98 If you want more poses, take
some time to look them up with your little! See which
ones challenge both of you. You can also do a relaxing
family yoga session together like this one if you have a
little more time: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=AjwAvRElbu0.
BOOK
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena While this book is not specif ically about mindfulness, it is about community engagement and I feel it’s a great representation of different walks of life.
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Community I LO V E YO U R I T U A L S
Dr. Becky Bailey coined the term “I Love You Rituals” which are a great way for siblings, peers, or even parents to connect with their littles. The book is available at the library and has lots of great suggestions for different ways to promote friendly touch and relationship.
I W I S H YO U W E L L Something we do frequently in the classroom is “wishing others well.” This also comes from Dr. Becky Bailey and has to do with noticing when others aren’t around or are sick, and then sending them some loving energy! This is a practice you can do with your little before bed, in the morning, if a relative is ill, or for any sor t of reason. It’s something that has helped me to show gratitude for my loved ones more frequently!
Mindfulness Suppor t & Resources Parents, if you’re looking for some ways to deepen your own meditation or yoga practice so you can support your little’s journey, here are some ways to do that.
YO GA WI T H CHI LD CA R E OPT IONS
• Love Hive, Yoga Shala, and Dive Den are all studios that offer childcare during some of their classes at a low cost and are wor th checking out! LOW COST / SLIDING SCA LE YO GA
• Local PDX studios including Yoga Refuge, Nor th Por tland Yoga, and Yoga NW offer low cost and sliding scale classes for community on different days! In addition to those, People’s Yoga also offers a yoga scholarship for those in need. Check out their schedules to see what’s being offered currently. I like these studios in par ticular because of their focus on safe, diverse, and inclusive practices for all. They also all have great intro deals for trying out studios. ONLINE YO GA R ESOURCES
• If a studio practice isn’t something that’s available to you at this time due to funds, timing, or other reasons, try an online practice! I recommend Yoga with Adriene which is a channel on YouTube. I star ted my yoga practice with one of her monthly challenges. In my experience, they are accessible, not too long usually, and friendly with modif ications. A great channel to check out! LO CA L MINDF U LNESS ED U CAT ION / PAR ENT SUPPORT OPTIONS
• Though not always low cost, Peace in Schools is a program that teaches mindfulness in schools, but also offers courses for adults and educators! • PDX Parent offers a list of community resources such as community suppor t, parental counseling, night out for parent events, and other oppor tunities. These resources can be a real help during times of crisis or if you’re just needing some extra help outside your family unit! Check it out! The link is here: https://www.pdxparent.com/parenting-help/ B O OK R ECOMMENDAT IONS FOR MEDI TATION, MINDFU LNESS & B ETTER COMMUNICATION
• 10% Happier by Dan Harris • The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron • Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenburg
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T EACHER GAB BY lives in Por tland, Oregon with her
husband Steven and fur baby Luna. She has been working with littles for the better par t of the last f ive years and teaching exclusively for the last three. Her work is mindfulness and self care centric with an emphasis on healthy movement and creativity. Other passions include teaching yoga, dancing, and trying new creative endeavors with an open mind. She recently graduated as an inclusive practices yoga teacher from the Sola School of Contemplative Ar ts in July of 2017 and is currently dedicating her time to creating inclusive movement and ritual practices for all kinds of people. In her free time, she can be found snuggling her cat, making messes in the kitchen, and going on grand outdoor adventures.
SPECI A L T H ANK S TO SM A LL WONDER SCHO OL IN PORTLAND, OR EGON, FOR GI VING ME T HE T IME AND FR EEDOM TO EXPLOR E THESE PR ACTICES IN MY OW N CL A SSROOM AND TO SHAR E THEM WI TH OTHERS.
GR AT I TUDE TO A SH GO OD FOR PR ESENTING THE IDEAS IN T HIS GUIDE IN A FUN AND ENGAGING VISUAL WAY.
AND M AN Y T H ANK S TO DAR A FOR THE LATE NIGHT INSPIR ATION AND P USH TO CR E AT E SOMETHING BIGGER THAN MYSELF FOR OTHERS.
This material has been researched and prepared by Gabby Hancher and is shared as a free resource. If you share this guide please do so in its entirety with credit. Thank you. DESIGNED BY WWW. ASHGOOD.DESIGN