As adults we all know the importance of finding ways to cope with any form of stress, anxieties or depression, because let’s face it – there is nothing more nerve-wracking than feeling as though your head is going to explode. We have all been there.
Naturally, as you get older or should we say you gain ‘more life experiences’ instead, we did not all learn to cope with our stresses and anxieties at an early age or have the opportunities to practice modern mindfulness techniques like we do today. So, that is why at Little Scholars, we believe it is absolutely fundamental to bring this Mindfulness Program into our little scholars’ lives at a young age.
There is nothing more blissful than watching your little ones learn to understand and manage their own internal worlds. Whether that be learning to cope with overwhelming situations that arise in their day-to-day lives, or approaching interactions with other children or even siblings in a more positive way. There is so much our little scholars can learn and benefit from adopting mindfulness into their lives on a consistent basis, and we believe that this program compliments our existing holistic learning model which is in place across all of our childcare centres.
Our Mindfulness Program is a toolkit which has been implemented into the daily learning program at our campuses across all ages, and consists of exercises such as the ABC’s of Mindfulness, Yoga Flashcards and Memory Card. These thoughtfully crafted exercises have been created by Founder of ‘Mindful & Co Kids’, Jacqueline Yeats, a child psychotherapist who developed these mindful exercises based on scientific research. There are numerous studies that emphasise how mindfulness in early childhood can improve the capacity of a child’s brain to manage cognitive processes and helps increase their overall wellbeing.
What brings us the most comfort with teaching our little scholars mindfulness, is knowing that as they grow older we have equipped them with valuable tools and life skills to help them deal with emotions and stress calmly and constructively. Oh, and what proud (and sad) adults we will be when the day comes and our super ‘zen’ little ones are not so little anymore and can go on through their educational journey and teach their mindfulness skills to younger children.
Stay zen, and treat yourselves to a beach sunset walk a couple of times a week because we promise you, that is therapy. We would love to hear about your family’s favourite mindfulness activities.
