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Redhill Primary School

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Mindful Moments

At Redhill, we have developed our own, tailor-made package of activities to support children's wellbeing throughout the day at our school. 

 

These activities have been carefully curated to suit a range of needs which can arise in a school day and to provide teachers and children with easy to implement activities which can be readily accessed and adapted in response to observed needs.

 

We have categorised these activities in to five key categories:

Focus

Some Mindful Moments are selected to support children in nurturing their focus and concentration. This may be by focussing their concentration internally on how they are feeling mentally or physically, or, they may be short activities and challenges, unrelated to the curriculum, which allow the children a risk-free moment to develop their concentration skills.

Calm

At certain points in a day, any person can need a moment to re-centre themselves and calm both their mind and body down. These activities have been selected for the times when children’s cups are a little too full and they need a moment to decompress and settle themselves.

Transition

Transitions between break times, dinner times and lessons can always be a point of potential haste in the day where everyone is rushing to get ready for the next session. These activities have been selected to engage children in a calm, meaningful activity which both allows a brain break from the mental load of learning and a moment of focussed calm to ready their minds for the next lesson.

Move

In the same way that we all need moments of calm during a day, we also need moments of activity and movement to energise our minds and bodies. These activities have been selected as controlled moments for children to shake themselves up, wake themselves up and fill up their cups when they are beginning to run low.

Reflect

A lot can happen in a single day for a child at school. Organising and understanding this information takes patience, skill and a high level of cognitive energy. These activities provide scaffolded ways of reflecting on your day, your week, your term or even your feelings in the current moment. They are intended to support children in leaving school each day feeling calm, content and safe.

Underlying Research-Based Principles of our approach

 

Mindfulness activities should be one facet of an integrated, whole-school approach which works on centring wellbeing and creating an environment where all children feel safe
Building our approach using feedback and ideas from the children is essential if we hope for it to be effective in supporting them in the long term
There is no one-size fits all approach to effective wellbeing support – resources and activities will have to be tailored and adapted to meet the needs of specific classes and children
Neurodivergant children, or children with high sensory needs, will need adaptations on occasion and these may be adaptations that we would not initially think of
The foundation of any successful wellbeing support lies in strong relationships with the children in your class and, as much as possible, across school
Buy-in from children is essential for impact – activities and support should be engaging and meaningful
Children should understand why we are using wellbeing activities so that they are aware of how the school is working to support them and how these activities could support their wellbeing. If they recognise the way they help, it increases the chances of them utilising mindful practises outside of school
Teachers need to have a clear understanding of why they have chosen a particular mindfulness activity – are we supporting the children to be mindful (focus on the present moment) or let their mind wander (take a break to avoid mental fatigue) for example
A common language for mindfulness and wellbeing can support its integration across the school and, as a result, achieve a bigger impact by having a more noticeable effect on the whole school environment and culture
Wellbeing activities can be utilised to allow breathing space for teachers to support their own wellbeing. If they are used to slow the pace of the day, to allow the children a moment of independence, to allow a moment of quiet and calm, etc. this, in turn, will support the teacher in having a calmer, more enjoyable and less manic day.
An effective wellbeing programme will mix hedonia and eudonia to allow children opportunities to feel good and to feel competent or to reflect on their competencies and unique talents
Having an initial, clear approach to altering our days and our timetables will help give the children an understanding of how their school day could be adapted and how different activities could be ingrained in to school life. This will support them in, gradually, over time, increasing their input in adaptations to the approach and, consequently, adapting our curriculum based on their own views and experiences as a young person in our school

Mindful Moments Ground Rules

 

Be kind – We want everyone to feel free to be themselves and express themselves during our Mindful Moments so always be kind and allow people to be exactly who they are.

 

Be Respectful – Everyone deserves to participate in these activities so make sure you are not interrupting, deliberately distracting or inhibiting other children.

 

Listen – Listen to your teacher and listen to other children’s contributions.

 

Be sensible – Some of these sessions will be fun and active. Whilst we want you to express yourselves, you must remember the difference between having fun and being silly.

 

Be brave – Your classroom is a safe place to relax and be yourself. Be brave – share your work, your thoughts and your ideas without any fear of judgement.

 

Be present – These activities can help you take care of your wellbeing and help you have the best day possible. These are chances to let your mind drift in a constructive way – stay aware of the reason behind these Mindful Moments and enjoy the activity we are doing.

 
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