Let me guess, you're looking for some apple-themed, mindfulness activities to add to your lesson plans this Fall, right? Well, I've got you covered. I rounded up three kid-friendly, mindfulness activities that will fit perfectly into your apple-themed lesson plan. Easy, peasy, done!
Apple-themed Art Study
This is one of my "focus & notice" mindfulness activities that uses famous artwork. You'll ask your kids to focus and notice the tiniest of the details in some "appley" artwork. It takes great focus and concentration to explore the tiniest of details, and so slowing down to "focus and notice" helps us to practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness helps us to tune into what we are experiencing right in the moment, so ordinary experiences become more intimate, more enjoyable, and have more meaning. Studying the details in these works of art, can bring about so much more meaning and pleasure than just a glance over. So, let's get into the details.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Magnifying glass (optional)
- Copies of artwork with apples
Some suggestions:
It's best to give each child a copy of the painting so they can get up close to it. But, you can show them a picture on a screen or in a book if you don't have a copy for each child. Have your kids examine the work silently and notice as much detail as they can. After some time, ask your kids to close their eyes and see the picture again in their mind using their "inner eyes". Have them recall all of the details they can.
Here are some questions you can ask:
- Can you name three things you see?
- What color is the apple/are the apples?
- Can you remember a second color on the apple?
- How about a third color?
- What is the apple on?
- How does the artwork make you feel?
- How does the person in the artwork feel? How can you tell?
- Why do you think the artist painted the artwork?
- Can you name something else that was in the picture?
Once they can't recall any more details, have them open their eyes and study the artwork again. Have them use the magnifying glasses to notice even more of the details. Give your kids a few minutes to explore the painting again and ask them to try to notice even more details than last time. Have them close their eyes again and see if they can recall more of the details. Ask the same types of questions getting into more and more detail each round.
You can do as many art pieces as your kids will sit for. Or, you can do one each day to practice some daily mindfulness. You can also start a discussion about how the apples in each of the paintings are similar or different than each other.
APPLE-THEMED MINDFUL EATING
We spend a lot of time thinking about the should-haves of the past and the what-ifs of the future and because of these distractions, we miss out on enjoying the present. We miss out on the everyday pleasures right in front of us, like eating an apple!
Mindfulness helps us tune in to what we are experiencing right in the present moment, so ordinary experiences like eating an apple become more enjoyable. When we are being mindful, we take the time to notice all of the smallest details without being distracted, so we experience the textures, the tastes, and the aromas of the apple even more.
Mindful eating helps us to pause and connect with our food. This fosters a healthy relationship with food in addition to practicing mindfulness in general. So let's get focused and dig into some apple tasting. You can do this whole activity with just the fresh apple or you can use any combinations of "appley" foods below.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Whole apple for each child or apple slices
- Apple pie
- Apple juice or cider
- Applesauce
- Apple donut
RELATED: MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY- SAVORING CHOCOLATE
Give each child an apple slice and any of the other apple foods you will be tasting for this activity.
Have your kids pick up the food and notice what it looks like. Colors? Shape? Size? What do they notice most?
Ask your kids to bring the food to their nose and smell it. They can close their eyes. What does it smell like? Does the aroma remind them of something or bring back a memory or a feeling?
Next, have your kids put the food in their mouth. They can move the food around with their tongue and start chewing slowly. Does it make a sound when they bite it or chew it? What textures do they feel in their mouth? What else do they notice in their mouth? What does it taste like? Can they taste anything they didn't expect?
Repeat this activity with all of the foods or drinks you have chosen. Compare and contrast the apple in each by asking about the five senses. How was the "appleness" of each food the same or different among the different foods?
- In which foods did the apple taste the same? Or different?
- In which foods did the apple feel the same in their mouth? Or different?
- In which foods did the apple sound the same when they bit into it or chewed it? Or different?
- In which foods did the apple look the same or different?
- In which foods did the apple smell the same or different?
You can finish the activity with a discussion about which apple food they liked the best and why. And, of course, which apple food they didn't like or liked the least and why. Was it the flavors or textures or the aromas that they liked or didn't like? Or maybe there was there a fond memory associated with one of the foods?
APPLE MANDALA
A mandala is a circle that represents wholeness. It's usually filled with geometric designs that represent the different parts of the whole. Mandalas can be used as a tool to journey deep within ourselves to tap into some feelings and patterns we might not be aware of. They are creative and artistic representations of our inner world.
You can let your kids use this as a creative activity without giving them any guidelines or you can follow the instructions below.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Paper plate for each child
- Apple seeds
- Apple blossom (or any kind of flower, real or fake)
- Apple leaves (can be any kind of leaf, real or fake)
- Tree bark (to represent the apple tree)
- Anything else apple related that you would like to include
Have your kids close their eyes and take a few deep breaths to settle in. Have them put their hand on their heart and think about things they are really good at or things they really like about themselves. These things can be represented by the more mature apple tree and your kids can use the bark in the mandala.
Next have them think about things that they would like to grow within them like a feeling, a skill or a personal quality like kindness. These things can be represented by the seeds or the blossoms that still have some growing to do within.
Once your kids have reflected on these things, have them add the corresponding apple parts to their own unique, personal mandala. Their mandala will be a beautiful representation of the qualities they like about themselves along the qualities that they would like to work on and grow.
Mandalas aren't meant to be permanent so they can be taken apart and used again and again. But, make sure each child gets to share their mandala and what it means before they get taken apart.
RELATED: VALENTINE'S MANDALA
Have fun with these apple-themed mindfulness activities. Incorporate them into your apple theme for some kid-friendly mindfulness practice each day. Let me know below which one your kids liked the best.
If you're looking for more apple-themed mindfulness activities, check out this lesson plan complete with: circle time discussion, deep breathing technique, mindful movement activity, guided story, mindfulness activity, and creative activity, plus added bonus activities sprinkled throughout.
related: APPLE-THEMED MINDFULNESS LESSON PLAN
~ Dawn
