It's finally November, so we are getting into the wild busyness of the holiday season. As much as I enjoy thinking about good food and gifts, it's even more wonderful for me to take some time each October and November to plan new ways for me to give my daughter the opportunity to contribute to the people and places around her. As a mother to an only child, it feels even more important to me for my daughter to learn how to think of others, so we have been doing kindness projects since she was around 2 years old. I have a list of things that are relatively easy to complete. Although I eventually aspire to completing one a day, we don't normally have time, but I do like to spread out several activities over a week for the entire months of November and December. The List (with links to organizations in the Kansas City area)I have included a list of kid-friendly kindness activities, including links to organizations that are local to the Kansas City metro area. There is a free printable list at the bottom of this post.
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For our final meditation practice from the Mindful Kids deck by Barefoot Books, I have chosen something a bit different (affiliate link). This one is best in a group of multiple children although I have done it with just me and my daughter. It's basically a version of charades, but each person chooses a feeling to act out. This allows children to explore feelings in a safe, fun environment, so they can more easily identify them when they arise naturally. We all have feelings every day, and it's important for children to learn how to identify these feelings and to feel safe in expressing them. This mindfulness practice explores them:
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you have enjoyed exploring the Mindful Kids deck with me. The deck itself has many more meditations, and I have loved going through them with my daughter. Next Thursday will begin a new series. This week's mindfulness practice focuses on calming down a busy mindset. Although it's designed for kids, this one is also helpful for us as adults; I probably use an adapted version (an indoor shower rather than rain showers) more often than I guide my daughter through this meditation. This one is also from the Mindful Kids card deck created by Barefoot Books (affiliate link). I love the illustration of this card so much because it showcases a sweet boy in a wheelchair with his dog; ensuring that all kids see themselves represented in books and other illustrations is one of the core values that drew me to Barefoot Books. Here is a short version of the meditation; you can use either a rain shower or an indoor shower for the visualization:
I hope that you have enjoyed this small moment of peace in your day. This week I chose one of the first meditations I ever learned: mindful munching. I'm showcasing the one from the Mindful Kids card deck published by Barefoot Books (affiliate link). I loved this meditation, and I was surprised by how much more flavor food had when I completed it. My daughter thinks that this meditation is a bit silly, and she always ends up giggling. I think that this is partly because she is still young enough that she doesn't eat mindlessly. It may be a meditation that is better suited to older kids and adults. Here is the simplified practice; it's best to use a small snack:
Thanks for reading. May your food be delicious. I'm continuing the series of kid-friendly meditation practices from Barefoot Books' Mindful Kids card deck (my affiliate link). Today I am presenting another meditation to help kids start their day well: Rings of Light. This one helps kids and adults find courage and safety inside themselves. Here are the simplified steps for practicing this meditation:
I hope that you enjoyed this meditation. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below. Now that we have officially welcomed autumn, I thought that it would be an excellent time to introduce this next mindfulness practice called Everything Changes. One of my biggest goals for this year's homeschool is to actually use Lynn Seddon's Exploring Nature with Children curriculum on a consistent basis (not an affiliate link). This practice of reflective observation has been a helpful addition to ENWC. This week's card is also from the Mindful Kids' deck published by Barefoot Books (my affiliate link). The following is a simplified version of the back of the card. With my own daughter, we tend to complete this exercise outside in order to observe the nature around our home, but it's perfectly possible to practice inside.
Thanks again for reading. Please feel free to add comments below. This week's mindfulness practice might be better for slightly older children and adults, but there is real value in intentionally wishing happiness for others. The practice itself is a child-friendly version of metta bhavana, a traditional practice meant to cultivate compassion in Buddhists that has been adapted for an English-speaking audience (not an affiliate link). For myself, this was one of the most valuable meditations I learned back in high school at a gifted program retreat that focused on Buddhism. It has carried me in many times of difficulty by allowing me to open up my heart to people who have hurt me. I was excited to share this child-friendly version with my daughter. Like the past two weeks, this Loving-Kindness card is from the Mindful Kids card deck published by Barefoot Books (my affiliate link). Here is the adapted version for kids. Adults are welcome to use this one as well, but the linked one from the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society (link again) may work better for us.
I hope that this has been helpful, and I would love to read your comments below. Thanks as always for reading. I'm back this week with another mindfulness practice for you and your family. This week's mindfulness practice focuses on how sound can help us settle back into calmness. My daughter loves this practice, and it often moves her mood from frustrated or angry into silly, giggle-filled calm. Like the card last week, the Happy Hum one is from the Mindful Kids deck from Barefoot Books (affiliate link). This one is particularly useful in helping kids find calm in the midst of strong feelings, which is how we use it in my family. This one does not require any additional items:
I hope that you enjoy this practice. I will be back next week with another. This year we are integrating a kid-friendly mindfulness practice into our homeschool. I noticed that all of the members of my family have been struggling a bit with staying present and regulating our emotions, so it seemed like a wise choice to put the beautiful cards I bought from Barefoot Books into practice. This particular deck is called Mindful Kids, but many of the practices have been applicable to adults as well. It's available here (affiliate link: I sell them). The below image is from the card set; it's called Mindful Mood. The image is on the front with instructions for putting the mindfulness activity into practice. This one is recommended for starting your morning well, and it's been a helpful addition to our Cosmic Kids Yoga practice as well (not an affiliate link). This particular practice requires paper and some sort of crayons or markers. Here is a simplified version of the practice:
My daughter has been into expressive art lately, so this particular practice has been speaking to her strongly. Let me know if you and your family benefit from this practice. I'm back again this week with the second part of my review of Kira Willey's Breathe Like a Bear book (affiliate link); this week I am focusing on a mindfulness practice from the Relax section of her book called Kitty Cat Stretch. Although we do not currently have a pet, my daughter is obsessed with cats, and she frequently informs me that "meow" is her favorite word (at least for this month) and attempts to lick me like mama cats clean their babies. It's adorable and a little annoying at the same time, like so many other aspects of parenting. Since this one involves pretending to be a cat, she loves it and happily participates in this type of mindfulness practice. I hope that all of your cat-loving kids enjoy this one too. Here's a short version of the practice; check out the book for a more complete one:
I hope that you have enjoyed this purrific mindfulness practice. Let me know below if you have any questions or comments below. |
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I'm Heidi, the lead teacher for Stone Bridge Academy. We are a homeschool serving one fabulous student. This blog occasionally uses affiliate links, which means that we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only link to products or services that we use and love in my family. These commissions allow me to continue providing helpful content here. Thank you for your support.
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