Mindfulness activities to reduce anxiety

After lunch each day this week we have been using mindfulness activities 

Yesterdays activity was;

Human Camera: A Mindfulness Activity to Engage the Senses

Have the children get into pairs. One child is the camera; the other is the photographer. 

The photographer walks behind her "camera," with hands on her camera's shoulders. She carefully guides her partner, who keeps his eyes closed. She will have the chance to make three photos. 

She can guide her camera to just the right spot, either lifting his head up or down, to get the right angle. When she's ready to take the picture, she gently squeezes her partner's shoulders. 

He can open his eyes momentarily, and his partner can "take the picture." Then he must close them again right away. 

After the third snapshot, have the partners switch.

From Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children (2011) by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community. Reprinted with permission of Parallax Press, Berkeley, California.www.parallax.org

Our literature Review at the Mind Lab looked at;
'How can developing a growth mindset and engaging in mindfulness techniques reduce maths anxiety in upper primary school students'.

My MindLab Colleague and I will soon create our own Applied Practise Inquiry Projects which will relate to this. But at the moment we are reflecting on the how to best incorporate Growth Mindset, Mindfulness and Character Education into our classrooms. I am really interested to see if the interventions will help with reducing maths anxiety.

At the moment in my collaborative classroom we are using mindfulness activities to refocus the students after lunch. We have a silent reading slot after morning tea which really settles the children. We are now noticing the change in the children after beginning our afternoon sessions.

Today we carried on with our Five senses Mindfulness Log created by Steph Rogers.

An alternative Five Senses Mindfulness Log found online.