Mindfulness exercises for children
Mindfulness is a method aimed at encouraging our concentration. Mindfulness exercises for children allow them to focus their abilities and improve the learning process inherent to this age group. At British School of Almeria we work on all the aspects involved in learning, mindfulness activities for boys and girls help to reinforce the results of our students, during all academic periods.
What is mindfulness?
Before evaluating the impact of mindfulness exercises for children, it is important to put the technique into context and assess the benefits it offers to academic age children.
Mindfulness is a technique based on focusing on the present. What we seek through mindfulness is full concentration, to renounce the noise and distractions that occur in our immediate environment.
Mindfulness emerged in the late 1970s, as a solution to periods of continuous stress. We know that a large part of stress and anxiety is caused by the anticipation of future situations, mindfulness tries to greatly reduce these anticipations, which in many cases can be negative, and which prevent us from absorbing all the information and knowledge that the present offers us.
The application of mindfulness in school environments
The benefits of mindfulness not only have an impact on adults, it is also possible to apply its advantages to school-age children, to reduce stress and improve attention rates.
A child learns by listening and reviewing what he/she learns, if he/she is able to focus his/her attention, he/she will multiply the knowledge acquired in the classroom and at home, on the contrary, if he/she is not able to concentrate, much of the information he/she receives daily will be lost.
Mindfulness activities for children allow them to create a learning space in which distractions are eliminated and the only thing that matters is the content of the lesson.
Mindfulness activities for school-age children
Mindfulness improves their attention, enables them to manage their emotions and improves their self-control. The following exercises help school-age children focus their attention on learning.
Listening to sounds
Sounds are the perfect stimulus to prepare for learning. Auditory therapy facilitates concentration on the present. When we hear a powerful sound, our attention is focused exclusively on this stimulus.
What we are looking for is a principle of concentration, which can be maintained during the next activity, in this case study or a lecture.
Moving the body
Movement also allows us to focus our attention on the present. Jumping on the spot for a minute, feeling our body, allows us to forget about things that have nothing to do with the activity we are going to do next.
The aim is to free the mind from stress, this type of movement is suitable for encouraging relaxation.
Conscious breathing
Everything related to breathing is fundamental in mindfulness. In the case of the exercises for children, we want to provoke conscious, controlled breathing, which allows the rest of the body to relax and generates the state of relaxation that we need.
Breathing in mindfulness begins with an inhalation through the nose and an exhalation through the mouth, encouraging the awareness of doing this activity.
Explaining and accepting emotions
In addition to learning, mindfulness at this age also allows for a better management of emotions. A classic exercise in this sense is based on explaining the emotions they have felt and what the consequences have been.
It is important that a child learns to accept his or her emotions as something habitual, positive and that will help him or her to know him or herself better. It will also allow them to strengthen a fundamental value for their future: empathy.
Relaxation before going to sleep
Sleep allows us to assimilate what we have learnt during the day, as well as repairing the organs involved in learning. Relaxation exercises before going to sleep improve the quality of the hours of sleep and also help to fix in the long term all that we have learned during the day.
To encourage relaxation, it is sufficient to carry out conscious breathing exercises, shifting the attention to various areas of the body in succession.
Meditating like a frog, breathing like a bee
These two exercises improve a child’s awareness of his or her own present. Frog meditation is based on stillness, as frogs do when they observe. It is important that the child concentrates and perceives what is around him or her in the present moment.
Bee breathing is based on breathing exercises, imitating the buzzing of the bee. It is advisable to cover their ears slightly, so that the only sound they perceive is their own buzzing.
Draw the first thing you think of
Drawing unconsciously is also a good way to concentrate on the present, and to avoid thoughts that have nothing to do with the activity we are going to carry out next. Drawing before starting an activity related to memorisation helps to optimise your attitude to learning.
British School of Almeria, a unique British school
The concept we stand by is Amazing learning, because we really want our students to have an amazing experience. If you are looking for the best educational experience for your children in Almeria, our school offers the best teaching method throughout all the pre-university educational periods, based on a British academic programme.