Mindfulness

Mindfulness isn’t really a term we hear all that often – and honestly it’s something I did not really know anything about. However I came across a really interesting article about primary school’s actually teaching this concept of mindfulness to children in Sydney. Mindfulness is a simple form of meditation, and a way of being in the present moment and learning to be confident in how we approach it. The article mentions that children are told that “it’s a way of being brave and facing yourself” – what a great concept and thought process for young children to have!

This is not just for those children who have anger problems or behaviour issues either. All children can benefit from being taught these skills. It teaches children how to respond to things – both in themselves and around them, instead of just instantly reacting. It can also be an instrumental skill in their teenage years, helping them to navigate peer pressure, and shows that real choices come from self-awareness. What’s even better is that these schools have taken what the children have learnt from these mindfulness classes, and used it to underline everything they do from the classroom to the playground. The technique STOP is designed to help children notice their feelings, rather than just reacting.

Sense the body

Tune into breathing

Observe feeling

Proceed mindfully

Seems like a mantra we could all use in our daily lives, and one that I think can definitely help children succeed at school and in life. Check out the link below for the full article – it’s a really great read about a truly interesting concept.

 
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/sunday-style/is-mindfulness-a-technique-that-can-help-kids-succeed-or-have-we-crossed-a-line/story-fnrmutp8-1227418415240

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