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Keep Mindfulness through the Holiday Back To School Transition

The holidays are a joyous and wonderful time of year, but can also be very busy time, and at times, overwhelming. Now that we are back it is time to Children shift into the organized, orderly school day from that unstructured holiday break schedule. As a result, it is inevitable that children may feel some degree of stress from these transitions.  Children and teens are still learning to regulate emotions, making them more susceptible to change’s resulting in stress.

Mindfulness is the act of creating awareness of your surroundings, emotions, and physical self in the present moment. It helps you connect to the world around you, while providing cognitive, social, and emotional benefits. Practicing mindfulness is not just for adults. Children can reap a multitude of benefits from learning and practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness equips children with the ability to adjust and deal with conflict encountered in their daily lives. It can also help children foster an optimistic outlook in life, react to stress in a healthy way, and develop a positive self-concept.

The practice of mindfulness is foreign to some adults, making it tricky to teach and model for young children. The best thing to do is keep the message simple and focus on modeling the behaviors. Being taught by an adult that models mindful behaviors daily will assist youth in mastering the techniques. Below are a few mindfulness activities you can do at home as a family or in a group learning environment, such as a 4-H club meeting.

Enjoy Nature

Going on a mindful walk is a simple way to help clear your mind and restore your focus. Taking a nature walk around your neighborhood or park is an easy way to exercise your mindfulness skills and enjoy nature. You can make it exciting by telling them you are going on a “mindfulness safari” and the goal is to see how many different birds, insects, and animals you can find on your journey. Below are some tips for going on a mindful walk:

  • Start at a slow pace and gradually increase as the walk continues.
  • Pay attention to the feeling in your legs and feet as you take each step. Then, notice how your arms and torso feel as you walk.
  • Notice any smells around you.
  • Listen to the variety of sounds around you. Notice if the sounds are close or far away.

    Youth on a nature walk

    Talking a walk in nature is a simple way to practice mindfulness Photo by Allison Leo

Meditate

Contrary to what you may think, you do not have to sit silently on the ground with your eyes closed to mediate. You can meditate while you are walking, eating, or doing household chores. The goal of meditation is to slow down and be in the moment. Guided meditation led by a family member are a way to relax and help reduce stress. Below is guided meditation titled “Relationship Fingers” from the University of Minnesota Extension.

Relationship Fingers – Start by holding out your hand with your thumb pointed towards yourself. Take a breath. For each finger we are going to be focusing on a relationship we have with someone. There is no ‘right’ person so don’t worry about who you choose.

  • Start by holding your pinky finger and think of someone who is far away from you. Take a breath for them. Really look at that relationship. What do you notice?
  • Next focus or touch your ring finger. Think of someone who is leaning on you right now or who may be more vulnerable in this moment. Take a breath for them. Really look at that relationship. What do you notice?
  • Hold or focus on your middle finger and think of a leader in your life. Take a breath for them. Really look at that relationship. What do you notice?
  • Focus on your pointer finger and think of someone who is close to you. Take a breath for them. Really look at that relationship. What do you notice?
  • Last, hold or focus on your thumb. Consider the relationship you have with yourself. Take a good look. What do you notice? What are you committed to? Take one last breath and shake it out.

Gratitude

When we feel and express gratitude to people in our lives, it creates loving connections, builds trust, and makes us feel joyful. Gratitude can be shown by giving someone a hug or telling them how much you appreciate them. Gratitude journals can easily be made at home or you can print off a pre-made template. This version is simple and is a great start for kids: https://researchparent.com/gratitude-journal-for-kids/.

  • What’s the best book you’ve ever read? What did you like best about the characters?
  • Name one thing that makes you smile every time you hear or see it. Why?
  • Describe one thing that made you feel cozy today.
  • Who is the one friend you can always rely on?
  • What are five things you are looking forward to next year?
image of page with questions to help kids be mindful

Gratitude Journals are a simple mindfulness activity kids can complete every day

Walker, K., Sharpe, K., Anderson, M., Caines, T., Johnson, C., Kennedy, D., Nguyen, K., Odendahl, S., & Santl, K. (2021). Social Emotional Wellbeing: A Guide to Support Youth Thriving. St. Paul: Regents of the University of Minnesota.

5 Ways To Celebrate Gratitude

Not much can make one happier that the warm scents of pumpkin spice, twinkling festive lights, and the joyous spirits that the holiday seasons bring many families.  As the Thanksgiving holiday season approaches and we find ourselves dashing from one from one festive event to another, it becomes a wonderful opportunity to pause with our family members and reflect on how we can continue to apply one of our very important 4-H essential elements, generosity, into the holiday season to demonstrate simple acts of gratitude, that being that one is thankful for the kindness of others.  Research supports that individuals are observed to be happier, healthier, and have a more positive outlook when they practice being grateful on a regular basis (Berrena, 2016).

4-H supports the life skills of nurturing relationships and concern for others through generosity.  Gratitude is just one of many ways that we as a 4-H family can foster generosity, compassion, and kindness for others.  By helping our children recognize and thank those that are important in their lives and also by appreciating what they currently have available to them, it will make their best better, even on challenging days.

Expressing gratitude should be a daily act and does not have to be complicated or costly.  In fact, expressing gratitude can be quite fun and can also be a creative outlet and even incorporated into a family togetherness project.  For the sake of the holidays, below are five festive ways that you and your family can express gratitude in the coming days.

  1. “I am thankful for…” Statements – Expressing gratitude can be as simple as sharing what you are thankful for aloud to others. Start a daily habit of having each member of your family create a “I am thankful for…” statement.  Remind your family as you begin this activity that they can share their grateful statements with others throughout the day.
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  2. Colorful Place Mats – If you are looking for a creative outlet for your family, putting crayons to paper to design colorful place mats are a wonderful way to capture their gratitude! Simply grab some construction paper, crayons, and instruct the children to write, “I am thankful for…” at the top of the paper.  Then design away!  Once done, you can easily laminate the artwork so spills can be wiped away during the holiday meals.  These lovely gratitude place mats will become keepsakes for years to come!
  3. Acts of Kindness – When you and your family can, it is always great to give of your time to others. Organizations such as food pantries or homeless shelters can always use assistance.  You can easily find individuals in your community that may need special assistance with getting firewood or even holiday shopping. If your time is limited, contact an organization to see what other needs they have such as food or monetary donations.
  4. Tree of Thanks – Another creative activity you and your children can easily put together for the dinner table and add to it throughout the holiday season is the Tree of Thanks. Simply gather a tree limb of whatever size you prefer for your table piece and provide your family with paper leaf cutouts and crayons.  Each evening before dinner, have your family decorate a paper leaf with something that they are thankful for.  During the dinner meal, have a family discussion on gratitude and what the leaf means to them.  When the discussion is done, hang the leaf on your Tree of Thanks.  At the end of the holiday season, your family will have a beautiful display to be proud of!
  5. Thoughtful Notes – Handwritten notes are still wonderful ways to express how much you are thankful for others. Even better are notes that are handmade by children!   It takes little time, a blank sheet of paper, and a few crayons to create a thoughtful note to give to someone.  Make a point this holiday season to tell someone just how much they mean to you in the form of a written note.  I guarantee you the note will be cherished for years to come!

So, remember, gratitude is all about the positive attitude.  It is a gift not only for the person you are sharing it with but also, it is a gift for yourself.  Focusing on what you do have increases your level of happiness.  Go forth, apply generosity, and be grateful this holiday season!  Happy Holidays!

References:

Berrena, E.  (2016).  Practice Gratitude.  [Online], Available at: http://extension.psu.edu/youth/prosper/news/2016/practice-gratitude