Mindfulness in Maungatere
If you pop into Maungatere Hub at 1.30pm everyday you might think we are having a sleep!
Since the beginning of Term 1, Maungatere Hub have been taking some time to relax after lunch. Mrs Lotz has been researching the benefits of relaxation and mindfulness in children. These include "improvement to their wellbeing, reduce worries, anxiety, distress, reactivity and bad behaviour, improve sleep, self esteem, and bring about greater calmness, relaxation, and self-‐regulation and awareness".
The link below is to a number of short mindfulness stories which we listen to everyday. They children love to find a quiet space in our classrooms, some close there eyes, some cuddle a pillow, some lie under a table, some lie near a friend. All of them relax quietly and listen to the story 'Jamie' the storyteller tells them. We have found this time to be very calming for our children and we are seeing more focus during afternoon sessions (when generally younger children can be tired and off task).
There are over 12 stories of varying times. We started off with shorter stories of 5 minutes. The children are now asking for longer stories. They listen and relax whilst listening to stories of up to 14 minutes. It is fantastic seeing them so taking time to recharge and refresh their batteries.
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