EXPERT WAYS TO CREATE Mindful Safe Spaces for Children and Educators

 

Ideas from Laura Fowler Massie at Calm Kids Yoga

Holding Space - Role of the Educator

Creating a loving environment for the children in our care is both an honour and a privilege. Cultivating a sense of inclusion, respect and friendliness supports and develops healthy social and emotional development. Through the practice of mindfulness & yoga educators can create spaces where children, all children, feel competent, safe and welcome. It is with great care and thoughtful intentional safe spaces emerge. It is from an accepting and open heart that educators are able to hold these safe spaces and welcome the children in.

Teacher as Student

Learning is a two-way street. As educators we are continuously learning and evolving. Remembering that each of us, big and small, are unique and bring something very special to this world. Each child has lessons to teach us if we are open their lessons. Through careful listening, thoughtful observation and with an open heart, we can be both the student and the teacher. With a fair dose of curiosity, a little bit of carefree abandon, plenty of laughter and an equal amount of trust, the joyful lessons of childhood will bring greater happiness into our hearts and into our lives.

Practices for Both Educators & Children:

Feeling the Body – Asana – Mindful Movement

Much of mindfulness & yoga is about developing a greater connection and awareness to the physical and emotional body. Mindful awareness of the physical body is especially beneficial for children. It helps them to connect to and aligned with themselves, to feel better and live in the moment. Mindful movement supports stress reduction and is wonderful for reducing anxiety.

Try These Simple Movements:

Child’s Pose: This is a restorative pose. It accentuates safety and resting. It is a wonderful pose to encourage self-care and compassion.

Easy Pose: Seated crossed legs. This pose helps children to centre themselves and focus on the breath.

Mountain Pose: This pose helps to build confidence. It is grounding pose and supports focus and concentration as well as overall body awareness.

Standing Side Bend Pose: This pose encourages flexibility through the torso and the spine. It is grounding and encourages focus and concentration. (repeat on both sides of body)

Warrior II Pose: This is a strength and confidence booster pose. Builds internal heat and draws awareness to all parts of the body. (repeat on both sides of body)

Downward Facing Dog: This pose is an inversion that is calming for the nervous system. It helps to lengthen backside body and share strength between arms and legs. Barking like a dog can be fun when doing this pose.

Tuning into the Breath – Pranayama – Mindful Breath

Conscious breath is foundational to mindfulness & yoga. Observing and using the breath with awareness is one of the most powerful tools in our mindfulness & yoga toolkit. Teaching children specific breathing techniques to help them feel their bodies, understand sensations and regulate emotions are also powerful life-skills. Breathing techniques can be practiced seated, standing or lying down.

Try these simple breath practices:

Bumblebee Breathing

Sitting comfortably, gently place the tips of your pointer fingers in your ears and close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose and then hum quietly as you slowly breathe out.

Tummy Breathing

Lie on the floor and place a small stuffed animal on your stomach. Breathe in deeply though your nose and feel the stuffed animal rise, and then feel it lower as you slowly exhale through your mouth. Rock the stuffed animal to sleep using the rise and fall of your stomach.

Bubble Breathing

Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Begin by imagining you are holding a bubble wand. Breathe in deeply and then, as you breathe out slowly and gently, imagine you are blowing bubbles into the room. Imagine the bubbles are filled with peace or love or happiness and that you are filling the whole room with a peaceful, happy feeling. As you keep breathing slowly and blowing your imaginary bubbles, feel your body become calm and relaxed.

Elephant Breathing

Stand with your feet wide apart and your arms dangling in front of your body like an elephant’s trunk. As you breathe in deeply through your nose, raise your arms up high above your head. Then slowly swing your arms down again as you breathe out through your mouth.

Source: https://childhood101.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Calm-Down-Brain-Break-Breathing-Exercise-Cards.pdf

Creating A Gratitude Practice

In today’s busy world kindness and compassion are not always obvious. There is much strife, competition and ugliness in our world, it often dominates what we and the children in our lives, see and hear. But we can choose to change that. Through thoughtfulness and intention, we can filter what we let into our lives, at least some of the time, by practicing kindness, compassion and self-care. Teaching and sharing kindness and compassion with the children in our lives is powerful. We could even call it a super-power! Expressing gratitude for all that we have and enjoy is a great place to start.

Try These Simple Practices:

Gratitude Practice: at arrival, during group time or at snack have children state one thing they are grateful for (or what makes them happy). Write it down on a post-it note and pop it in a jar or stick it on the wall. Enjoy reading them back to the children at some designated time later that week. Repeat this often. Make it a ritual!

Inspirational Quote Board: Using an erasable whiteboard create a space where inspirational quotes or sayings can be written. At the beginning of circle-time or group time read the quote and allow the children to think about it and offer their suggests as to what it means of how it makes them feel. Quotes could be changed weekly or monthly and can be referred back to from time to time during the day, helping to create and build meaning and deeper understanding. Again, building the “inspiration of the week/month” into the regular schedule, making it part to the routine and a regular ritual. 


CONNECT WITH LAURA


Calm Kids Yoga Teacher Training

Blog: https://www.calmkidsyoga.ca/blog

Facebook: Calm Kids Yoga for Early Childhood Educators FB Group

Instagram: @ laura_on_the_path

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Want more information on how to become a mindful ECE?  Download the The Mindful ECE Resource Collection.



 

 


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