Sarah Peacock is our Nurture Championfor Lainshaw ECC.
Hear are some helpful mindfulness websites, pages and apps to try. 📲💻
⭐️ – www.cosmickidsyoga.com (some videos are also available on you tube for free)
⭐️ : Do Be Mindful – this can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and has helpful mindfulness ideas and tips for you and your child to try.
⭐️ Colour by Numbers – an app that can be downloaded on to any smart device to aid in concentration, relaxation and with the added bonus of learning Numbers.
⭐️ Try asking Alexa to open mindfulness and see what happens.
During these challenging times, many of us may be feeling anxious or stressed as we all try to adapt to our new ‘normal’.
Being mindful can help to relieve this and there are many fun & useful activities that we can do to reduce & help support these feelings.
What is Mindfulness? 💭💭
Mindfulness simply means ‘paying attention to the present moment in a curious way, without judgment’ This method is quickly finding its way into mainstream health and education due to the increase in our & our children’s daily lives.
Mindfulness provides many health benefits such as :
🔹psychological well-being 🔹stress reduction
🔹learning about emotions 🔹increased focus
Why Mindfulness for Young Children?
For young children in particular, keeping stress levels down while maximising positive experiences is crucial for optimum learning and growth, which is why mindfulness is such a useful tool to have in early childhood settings.
When children feel confident responding to, and managing stressful emotions or situations, they can focus their energy on having fun, learning and developing their talents ⭐️
Click on the words below to access document.
So why nurture ?
The nurturing approach offers a range of opportunities for children and young people, giving them the social and emotional skills to do well at school and with peers, help regulate behaviour, improve well being, develop their resilience and their capacity to deal more confidently with the trials and tribulations of life, for life. The philosophy of a Nurturing Approach is applicable and beneficial to us all. Nurture is a topic close to my heart, and I believe happiness, self-esteem, self-belief, confidence are vital to effective learning and that it is our job to equip our children with these, as well as the ability to make sense of their emotions, and teach them to understand, express and regulate them.
What do we do in our ECC for Nurture?
Nurture is incorporated in our daily practice within the
ECC in all of our interactions, and throughout our ethos and values of Kindness, Happiness, Nurture, Respect and Empowerment, with us seeking to provide a safe space for all, have and fulfil high expectations for all of our children and ensure children are at the heart of their own learning. As Nurture Champion, here are a few initiatives I am
bringing forward this year;
Nurture in our ECC
I have been Peer Massage trained and am working on incorporating the Massage In Schools Programme into our ECC. The MISA is an international organisation, branching to over 30 countries, giving children aged 4-12 years a chance to develop an understanding of mindfulness and kind and consensual touch, as we explore kindness and respect, listening to our friends & accepting when they say no. explore kindness and respect, listening to our friends & accepting when they say no. The act of massage – child to child, on top of jumpers, on the back, arms, neck and shoulders – releases “feel-good” hormones such as dopamine and serotonin, and helps our children focus, calm and regulate their emotions, meaning that they are then mentally more ready to engage in structured activities and learning. It incorporates areas of CfE such as Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and Numeracy through listening and talking, following instruction, counting strokes and above all, enhancing social, mental and emotional wellbeing through promoting inclusion, respect and relationship building. The MISP programme is carried on into primary .
While nurture is part of our daily practice within the ECC, with
nourishing children’s self-worth and happiness part of our
ethos and values, I am also working on rolling out a more
focused Nurture Group within the ECC for targeted work
helping little ones explore and understand their emotions.
Working on helping children to identify their emotions, find
appropriate ways to express these, finding coping
mechanisms for when they are overwhelmed by their feelings
are traits and skills that will see our children through their
whole lives. This will take the form of targeted 1:1 or small
group work surrounding emotions, social skills and building
independence/self-esteem through play. If this is something
you feel your child would benefit from, please let myself,
Leanne or your childs keyworker know .
Sarah x
