As many families know, we learn and practice mindfulness in the Lower School and it is integrated into much of the language we use on a regular basis.
More than just a New Age buzzword, mindfulness is a research-based approach that supports students in building skills for attention regulation (focus and concentration) and emotional regulation. Mindfulness means paying attention in the present moment to our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. For the sake of simplicity, we can define it as noticing what’s happening right now. It also includes the intentional nurturing of positive states of mind, such as empathy and kindness.
“I love teaching mindfulness to our Kindergarten students, as it is like a special discovery. They are learning about themselves and how to be the boss of their attention. When has anyone taught us how to pay attention?” says Lower School Counselor and mindfulness instructor Lisa Richter. “They are learning how to have more agency and say over what their bodies do—even and especially when they have big emotions! It's so fun to see them trying out new practices and finding something that nurtures them, like with the simplicity of taking a mindful breath.”
Even for our very youngest students, learning mindfulness can lead to improved attention, emotion regulation, improved behavior in school, empathy and understanding of others, social skills, test anxiety, and stress relief. Mindfulness helps students learn to take a pause when they feel upset or overwhelmed, replacing impulsive reactions with thoughtful responses. This helps to reinforce the healthy interactions and the positive classroom climate that we foster through Responsive Classroom, Second Step, and other SEL practices.
Over the next few months, we will have formal lessons twice a week for 15-30 minutes, along with learning some yoga poses, and the homeroom teachers will reinforce the practices throughout the week. “It is wonderful to see the ways our students are already settling right into our practice and bringing their growing background knowledge to the lessons we do together,” Ms. Richter tells us. “One impressive example is our kindergarteners each tried on their ‘mindful bodies’ and practiced ‘mindful listening’ for a full minute!”
Please ask your mindful students to show you what they are learning!
