Week 2 - Lesson Plan (Chill Out Session)
Overview
- To identify how they are feeling, introduction to worrying and Worry Cards.
- Activity: craft (planting seeds), storytelling ("We Are All Connected" book)
- Mindful Belly Breathing Meditation (Breath Meditation for ages 8-12, or Breath Meditation "Seed of Kindness" for ages 6-10).
1. Opening (5 min)
- Greeting the children.
- Fill up a list of children present in the class and count the children.
- Quick opening with 3 mindful belly breaths, (this time use a pinwheel from last week's class to pass in a circle, each child blows once)
2. Sharing Time (8 min)
- What did you discover when you did the meditations at home? How did you feel after listening to meditations?
- What is a worry? (Give children a turn to explain if they wish). A worry is a thought that makes you feel scared, upsets you, or makes you just feel bad. Worries can also give you physical symptoms like feeling sick or fluttery in the tummy, dizzy, having dry mouth, headache or fast heart beat.
- Being worried or anxious, is a feeling just like other feelings such as feeling joy, happiness, sadness. Feeling worried or anxious happens sometimes to everyone and it is completely normal. Sometimes we can get worried a lot and then we don’t have as much fun or like doing things as much. During this program you will learn how to manage your worries, how to relax, so you feel better.
- Mindfulness helps us to switch off from having these thoughts, and not get stuck in thinking about worries too much.
- What do kids worry about? (Give children a turn to share their worries if they wish. Use reflective listening technique to support children with their worries, rather than having to find solutions to their worries or talk more about them). Spread “Worry Cards” on the floor (heights, getting sick, if people like me, being alone, sleeping problems, being on time, speaking in front of a group, fights with friends, storms/fires/floods, flying on a plane) if children feel comfortable they can point to the cards that relates to them, you may too.
3. Activity (8 min)
Craft (planting seeds & discussion)
- Have a pot ready with a soil (one for the entire group) a water spray and seeds. There's only one pot this time; you'll add the soil before class starts, and the children will contribute by planting the seeds, you will water the seeds. The pot stays at school, assign each child a specific day to water the seeds, ensuring everyone takes turns on different day caring for our growing plant of kindness.
- What does a plant need to stay healthy? Get the children to think of all the things plant need to grow and stay healthy. Explain that for the plant to grow it needs regular care and regular watering for nourishment. It needs also soil, sunshine and air.
- How we can stay healthy in our bodies and minds? Get the children to think of ideas. Explain that similar to plants we also need to drink water daily, so we can stay healthy. For our bodies to stay healthy we need also sunshine, air, exercises, nourishment and vitamins from the food.
- But what about our minds? We can stay healthy in our minds by spending some time each day practicing mindfulness. This will help our minds stay strong, feel calm and happy and cope better with life. Without this nourishment we can become stressed, worried and anxious.
4. Meditation Practice (8 min)
- Introduce the Mindful Belly Breathing (MBB), this technique will help them to calm down when they are feeling strong emotions. When we are feeling stressed we tend to just breath into our upper chest which makes us take little breaths. Often, we breathe into our chest area and lift up our shoulders which does not calm ourselves down. We need to do opposite to feel calm. Show children an example of high chest breathing by lifting up your shoulders and taking small breaths.
- The Mindful Belly Breathing focuses on our belly area to make sure we are breathing deeply. Practice a couple of breaths with the children holding your hands on your belly while breathing. Show them how your hands are going up and down while you breathe in and out.
- Guide children through ‘Seeds of Kindness’ Meditation being guided by the script.
5. Closure (5 min)
- Encourage them to listen to the meditation daily. Explain that their parents will receive the link to the meditations they can listen to.
- Storytelling “We Are All Connected” (*if there is time)
- Mindful Game "What feeling am I?" (*if there is time) - Spread 8 Feeling Cards, direct the children to close their eyes, place the cards face down, and have each child pick one without revealing it. Encourage them to express the chosen feeling through gestures, facial expressions, and body language while others try to guess the emotion.
- Give away stickers to those children who were nicely participating in the class sticking it on the Reward Chart.
- Closing ritual - use battery operated candles as a closing ritual when children blow down the candles using 3 mindful belly breaths. The session is finished.
- Count the children and send them back to the teacher/their class.
LIST OF MATERIALS (provided)
Lesson 2 :
- Battery-operated candles x3 (use them as an closing ritual when children blow down the candles using 3 mindful belly breaths)
- Speaker for relaxing music in the background.
- Pillows for children to sit on.
- Monkey Feeling Cards and Worry Cards (sharing time).
- Star projector (turn on during meditation).
- "We Are All Connected" book.
- Materials for planting seeds (pot, flower pot stand, seeds, soil, water spray, shovel).
- Scripts for Mindful Belly Breathing meditations (“Seed of Kindness”).
- Peaceful Kids Rules Poster.
- Reward Chart & stickers.
MINDFUL BELLY BREATHING | "Seed of Kindness" | ages 3-5 | 5 min
This enchanting meditation helps children find calmness, focus on the present, and understand the magic of kindness in making their hearts happy. Let's embark on a magical journey with our "Seed of Kindness" meditation designed for little ones aged 3-5! Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and envision holding a special seed that transforms into a happy kindness plant. Feel the warmth as you breathe in and out, allowing the seed to flourish in your heart's garden. Engage in playful belly breathing, imagining the seed growing taller with every breath, spreading joy and love.
Script: Mindful Belly Breathing "Seed of Kindness" (ages 3-5)
Download
MINDFUL BELLY BREATHING | "Seed of Kindness" | ages 6-10 | 7 min
Embark on a magical journey with our "Seed of Kindness" meditation tailored for older kids aged 6-10! Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and visualize holding a special seed destined to blossom into a vibrant kindness plant. Sense the warmth as you breathe in and out, cultivating the seed in the garden of your heart. Engage in mindful belly breathing, envisioning the seed thriving with each breath and spreading positivity. This captivating meditation empowers older kids to find serenity, shift focus to the present, and recognize the enchantment of kindness in nurturing their hearts.
Script: Mindful Belly Breathing "Seed of Kindness" (ages 6-10)
Download
MINDFUL BELLY BREATHING | ages 8-12 | 5 min
This meditation helps children, teens, and adults to calm down when they feel upset, worried, stressed, or any extreme emotion. It helps them to self-soothe and manage their own emotions by changing their physiology. Focusing on their breath, helps children to shift their focus off worrying thoughts and onto the present moment.
