What is Mindful Preschool?

During Covid and all my time online I found a children’s conference. It was amazing! It had multiple specialists from teachers, psychologist to mindful practices and the benefits.

Here is a wonderful video from a woman that started a mindful preschool in Seattle, Washington. I have taken classes online at Mindful Schools and continue self-studies of mindfulness. Mr. Rogers was mindful in all his episodes. His same sweater and the consistency of his episodes were a comfort to children.

Why Do Children Need Mindfulness?

As we progress from hunter gather people, and we had to fit in with our society for survival to a smaller clan with the ability to be ourselves has created much more freedom for our children. More choices, more opportunities, more, more, more. Our current lifestyle has shown through statistics that mental health transparency is revealing suicide increase, anxiety increase, and stress increase.

How can we help our children?

This is Dr. Dan Seigel's Wheel of Awareness shows all the things in our lives that cause emotions or feelings. When we are aware of these we can better understand them when the feeling surface. He and many other specialists have been studying the brain and how we can help children understand what is going on inside their bodies. This awareness will help them to be better able to handle life with simple coping skills. Mindfulness is not meditating, it a way of life with AWARENESS. If you can name it, you can tame it, then you will be able to heal it.

And once a child can harness being able to understand their bodies, then they can LEARN. Mental health first. If a teacher understands mental health, brain development, and their capabilities than she can have a better chance of teaching the child academics. And academics are learned through play at this age.

This video says it best what mindfulness is and I am continuing to be inspired by others that are helping children reach their potential.

Is mindfulness in the general education setting?

Mindfulness is definitely a buzz word. More people ie. teachers, universities, legislation, are becoming aware of this opportunity to learn how to help children in their classrooms. It is practiced in some public schools. It is most beneficial if a teacher is mindful all day and sets this example for her students. More phychologist are being hired in public school however, budgets are also a hindrance. But it is just beginning to be at the forefront of needs for children, whereas, all that America cared about is that they could read. America is finally learning that kids can't read if they have mental health needs at the forefront.