Partnership with Parents - Mindfulness
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<strong>Mindfulness</strong><br />
<strong>Partnership</strong>s <strong>with</strong> <strong>Parents</strong>
Mandy Ward, Associate Principal<br />
Claire Tan, School Psychologist<br />
Zoe Parry, Director of Amherst Psychology
What springs to mind when you<br />
hear the word mindfulness?
What mindfulness isn’t!
What is mindfulness?<br />
The practice of being aware of your body, mind,<br />
and feelings in the present moment, thought to<br />
create a feeling of calm.<br />
Cambridge Dictionary
<strong>Mindfulness</strong> involves attention and attitude.<br />
Attention regulation:<br />
1. To know where our attention is<br />
2. To prioritise where the attention<br />
needs to be<br />
3. For the attention to go there<br />
and stay there<br />
Mindful attitude:<br />
‣ Openness<br />
‣ Curiosity<br />
‣ Acceptance<br />
‣ Self compassion
Why is mindfulness important?<br />
The PAID reality<br />
• Pressured<br />
• Always switched on<br />
• Information overload<br />
• Distracted<br />
Both adults and children tend to suffer from<br />
action addiction. This give the body a<br />
dopamine hit but also tends to open people to<br />
the cycle of being instantly reactive.
Science of <strong>Mindfulness</strong> by Dr Craig Hassed.
Benefits of <strong>Mindfulness</strong><br />
• Good mental health is an essential prerequisite for successful<br />
achievement of educational goals.<br />
• <strong>Mindfulness</strong> helps to:<br />
• Increase focus and engagement<br />
• Strengthen prefrontal cortex and hippocampus (associated <strong>with</strong><br />
attention & memory)<br />
• Dial down the activation of amygdala less stress & anxious<br />
• Create a sense of calm
Benefits of <strong>Mindfulness</strong> at Schools<br />
• Better emotional wellbeing<br />
• Academic performance improves<br />
• Attention & memory<br />
• Better social skills<br />
• Reduce stress and burnouts in teachers<br />
(Meiklejohn et al., 2012)
Let’s give it a go!<br />
Mindful practice
Current support at Campbell PS<br />
Staff are committed to the development of the whole child.<br />
• Highway Heroes program<br />
• KidsMatter<br />
• School psychologist<br />
• Chaplain<br />
• Referrals to outside agencies<br />
• <strong>Mindfulness</strong> practices (e.g. use Smiling Mind).
Resources<br />
• Smiling Mind<br />
https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app<br />
https://www.smilingmind.com.au/parent-resource<br />
• KidsMatter - <strong>Mindfulness</strong> for children and parents<br />
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/families/enewsletter/mindfulness-childrenand-parents<br />
• raisingchildren.net.au<br />
https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/mental-health-physicalhealth/about-mental-health/mindfulness<br />
• Zero to Three – <strong>Mindfulness</strong> for <strong>Parents</strong><br />
https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/2268-mindfulness-for-parents<br />
• <strong>Mindfulness</strong> for Mums and Dads [book]
Thank You!
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