Meta Minute

Each week, Wellness Coordinator, Jean Skaane, will share tips, insights, and reflections focused on student wellness and welfare.

Teaching mindfulness to kids doesn’t have to be complicated! Using activities, such as painting or tracing a hand, is a creative “anchor” bringing their attention back when the wandering, curious mind drifts off!

Sixth and seventh grade students tried a couple of different mindful “art” practices last week, and then reflected in their journals on what they noticed i.e. was it easier to stay focused on the pencil or paintbrush than focusing on the breath; did they have thoughts of “I’m not a good artist” and get lost in those thoughts; did they feel relaxed, calm, or anxious? Pablo Picasso said, “Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” One 6th grader believed this to mean that “we can leave everything else going on in our life aside and focus solely on what you are doing at that time.” Some students may find that various forms of art (cooking, writing music, sculpting, gardening, drawing) help them to remain in the present moment, with a calm, steady mind and body.