COMING SOON!
Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness is incredibly empowering for children. It can help them better manage stress and anxiety when it does occur. It helps with self-regulation, promotes positive emotions and self-compassion.
We are very pleased to be announcing, ‘Mindful Monday’ at OOSH!
Why Mindful Monday?
We have observed that Monday can be a challenging transition from ‘weekend life’ back to ‘school week life’ for many children. This has been observed through children’s individual and group behaviours, being; anxious, unkind, loud, aggressive, introverted, frustrated, and unwilling to share. From talking with a number of parents, grandparents, children, siblings, OOSH educators and school teaching staff, we would like to actively make an environment that supports children regulating their emotions, self-esteem and self-image.
As an adult, when was the last time you reflected on our children’s daily lives, both as your child, but also as a person in our community? What expectations and desires do we naturally place on them? What peer group and academic expectations do they place on themselves? How does their individual temperament impact their regular thoughts? What part of their day are they always sharing with you? What part of their day, do they never talk about? Do they seem to share common interests with other children that you associate with? Are they in a happy place?
Transitioning back to a school week, can mean a lot of different emotions and thoughts for every child, including:
- Sadness and tension about not being on one’s electronic device
- Anxiety about a planned project in class today
- Concern about rules and routines
- Over excitement or worry about seeing one’s peer group
We have developed a program in collaboration with parents and students that provides stimulating experiences and resources which guide children’s thoughts, emotions and behaviours in a positive way. Some examples of activities include Yoga, meditation and team building exercises.