Primary Times Leicestershire May edition

PRIMARY TIMES EXCLUSIVE
Mindfulness
for children
Primary Times teams up with Chivonne Preston, the CEO of Mindfulness in Schools Project
(MiSP), to bring mindfulness to young people and those who care for them.
Mindfulness is everywhere these
days it seems: colouring books,
meditation apps, quotes on mugs,
the list goes on… But what is
mindfulness, and how do you do it?
Mindfulness is about being in the
present moment: training your mind
to notice what is happening right
now rather than what has happened
or might happen. We have all felt
moments of panic or stress, worry or
anger, or times when our thoughts
seem to spiral out of control.
Mindfulness trains you to notice
your mind-states and manage
them more skillfully.
The benefits of mindfulness have
been rigorously studied scientifically,
and include improving mental health,
well-being and concentration,
building resilience, as well as
strengthening self-esteem and
confidence. But how do you learn
mindfulness, and how do you teach
it to children?
Learning mindfulness is about
training the mind: just like learning
to play an instrument or trying to get
physically fit, you must know what
you are aiming to do, and then you
must practice.
To learn mindfulness, you need to
learn about the science of the mind
and how your thoughts come and go.
Then, you can direct your attention
more selectively and practice
focusing your attention on one thing
at a time. This might be your breath,
or sensations in your body, or the
sounds you can hear, or a piece of
food you are eating. This can feel
difficult, as minds like to wander!
You then learn how to apply these
practices at times when you most
need them. This is best achieved on
an instructor-led course where an
expert can guide you.
For children, the process of learning
mindfulness should be just the same.
“At MiSP we know first-hand that
children really enjoy learning some
of the science behind their minds,
and they love learning to play with
their attention and direct it more
purposefully towards different
things”, explains Chivonne Preston.
“Mindfulness deals with thoughts
and feelings which for children
can sometimes be confusing, so
we recommend that young people
should be taught mindfulness by
trained teachers within a good
pastoral care setting.”
At home, as parents, you could
start with some simple mindfulness
practices with your children just to
see what happens when you try to
focus your attention in one place. You
don’t need any special equipment,
and you can try these anywhere.
Established in 2009, Mindfulness in
Schools Project (MiSP) is a national,
not-for-profit charity for young
people and schools. Their aim is to
improve the lives of a generation
of children and young people
by making a genuine, positive
difference to their mental
health and wellbeing.
www.mindfulnessinschools.org
Try this simple five minute mindfulness activity with
your children at home: ‘WHAT CAN YOU HEAR?’
Find a comfortable sitting position.
Close your eyes if you want to.
Try focusing your attention on
what you can hear.
Start with what is closest to you.
Can you hear your breathing,
or your clothes rustling?
Then try expanding your
attention to include sounds
in the room that you
are in. What else
can you hear?
See if you can bring your
attention back to the actual
sound itself, listening to it as
if you are hearing it for
the first time.
Your mind may start to wonder,
but you can use the sounds to
focus your attention.
To end the practice, gently
open your eyes, allow
yourself to stretch and
reengage your muscles.
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May 2019 | www.primarytimes.co.uk/Leicestershire