Add Mindfulness to Your Summer by incorporating these into your daily routine: •Take a walk and notice your surroundings. Don’t forget to turn your music off so you can hear the sounds of summer all around you. •Do the 3-4-5 breath as you get up in the morning and before you got to sleep, noticing how your body feels each time. •When you do your chores, focus on the sensation of your movements. •When you talk to a friend, really listen. Gently let go of your own thoughts and ideas, and tune in to what the person is saying. •Each time you hear a phone ring/buzz take a slow, deep breath. •Choose a path or street that you walk or run down regularly. Practice walking or running with an awareness of your surroundings each time you go there. What is different or the same as the last time? •When you are outside at night, really look at the stars for a minute or two. •When you go outside during the day, really look at something beautiful in nature for a minute or two. What are you grateful for? •Exercise or play a game with awareness. Pay attention to thoughts, feelings and the movement or your body. •Practice taking a breath and a short pause before responding to an email or text message, or before answering a question. •Practice kindness toward yourself and others at least once per day.
Other Fun Things
Mindful Eating. Students explain mindful eating in this short clip. Try this activity with your next snack or meal.
Go on a virtual vacation! Choose a spot anywhere in the world and imagine your family is on vacation through Google street view. Walk around Paris and check out the Eiffel Tower, visit the ruins of an ancient Mayan city in Tulum, Mexico, stay closer to home and venture over to the Oregon coast to see Haystack Rock, or for added fun see if you can find out where this guy is!
Big Life Journal is a site that I have used for a variety of school activities. You can buy activities on the site but they also have a Freebies link. You can sign up for the newsletter and they send free activities each Friday on topics like growth mindset, .
Podcasts for kids The New York Times put together a list of podcasts for 2-6 year olds and their caregivers