Mindfulness

• First, notice 5 things that you can see. Look around you and become aware of your environment. Try to pick out something that you don’t usually notice.

• Second, notice 4 things you can feel. Bring attention to the things that you’re currently feeling, such as the texture of your clothing or the smooth surface of the table you’re resting your hands on.

• Third, notice 3 things that you can hear. Listen for and notice things in the background that you don’t normally notice. It could be the birds chirping outside or an appliance humming in the next room.

• Fourth, notice 2 things you can smell. Bring attention to scents that you usually filter out, either pleasant or unpleasant. Catch a whiff of the pine trees outside or food cooking in the kitchen.

• Finally, notice 1 thing you can taste. Take a sip of a drink, chew gum, or notice the current taste in your mouth.

University of Vermont Medical Center

Printable Finger Maze: This is essentially a mandala. The site this came from, ‘Trails to Wellness’ has all kinds of great free materials.

Anxiety: Why Humans Experience Anxiety (3:10) --This is a cartoon video by GoZen on fear versus anxiety. Recommended for upper elementary students.

Kids Mindfulness: Calm Compilation (18:42) -- This is a series of 4 short mindfulness exercises for children in a cartoon series.

Square Breathing: A 3-minute video by MyLife to breathe along with.

Positive Thought Statements A collection of different phrases that you can select from as affirmations to repeat with children daily - or let them choose one phrase that speaks to them! An empowering activity that can be used daily especially with follow-up questions such as: What about this phrase speaks to you? What do you like about it? Why does saying something positive to ourselves make us feel better?

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This activity helps children focus and calm their bodies and thoughts by tensing different muscles and relaxing them. Both actions are equally important.