Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Resilient Kinds:Mindfulness


According to John Mikle ET:AL from Mindful Magazine, “Training students in mindfulness {Demonstrates benefits} including improvements in working memory, attention, academic skills, social skills, emotional regulation, and self-esteem, as well as self-reported improvements in mood, decreases in anxiety, stress, and fatigue”. Resilient Kids is the organization that does just that. This organization helps students to relax and concentrate on the now through different types of activities. These different activities help the children be more aware of mindfulness and allow them to know how to calm themselves. The techniques of mindfulness have helped children with their academics by receiving better test scores, better grades, and overall a better attitude in the classroom setting.  One of the activities they talked about in the Resilient Kids video was the Glitter Jar. By making a glitter jar, it allows the child to place all their worries and stress (glitter) into the jar and shake it up whenever they are feeling anxious. After they have shaken the jar, they set the bottle down and watch all the glitter fall to the bottom of the jar until every last piece is done. Doing this symbolizes for the child their worries floating away and calming the storms sort of speak.

                After learning a little about these different practices, I can see these techniques being used with helping children with disabilities; especially children with ADHD. Children with ADHD are extremely hyper and sometimes have difficulties zoning into their academics in school but also helping themselves to calm down and concentrate. These few activities that Resilient Kids does with the students could help these children with ADHD learn strategies to use not only in their academic surroundings but also in their everyday home life too.
If you would like to know how to make a glitter jar just click here

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