Love, friendship, red, hearts, pink, flowers, chocolate- all words you would associate with Valentine's Day, right? But what about mindfulness and meditation? Well, here are 3 kid-friendly, mindfulness activities you can add to your Valentine's Day word list.
#1 MINDFULNESS ACTIVITY FOR VALENTINE'S DAY- HEART OPENING YOGA POSES
Yoga is beneficial for both the physical heart and the emotional heart. Give these heart-opening yoga poses a try. Check this out, if you aren't familiar with how to do any of these.
- Cobra
- Cat/Cow Sequence
- Warrior 1
- Triangle
- Dancer
- Bridge
- Crescent Moon
- Camel
Here's some inspiration for using this mindfulness activity for Valentine's Day:
- Do one pose each morning at circle time
- Do a flow of three poses each morning
- Add pictures of the poses, printed or hand drawn, to a pocket die and do the pose that is rolled
- Practice in pairs and have the partners find a way to connect the poses
- Buy or make your own yoga cards with the heart-opening poses and play memory as a group. Practice the pose when a match is made.
#2 MINDFULNESS ACTIVITY FOR VALENTINE'S DAY- "Pebble Meditation"
Pebble Meditation was created by Thich Nhat Hanh, a great teacher of peace. He created it as a way for children to easily learn about certain abstract qualities by attaching these qualities to real and familiar objects like pebbles.
Each of the four pebbles in the meditation represents an object and its qualities. Pebble Meditation reminds us that we already have these special qualities within us, and that as we practice this meditation, these qualities will grow even stronger. It also reminds us that no one can ever take any of these qualities away from us. They are ours to keep, forever.
I wrote all about Pebble Meditation in this post, so take a peek if you need the script or the instructions for using it with your class. But, if you're already familiar with it, then go ahead and get started right away with this second mindfulness activity for Valentine's Day.
Here are some ideas for you:
- Love (Heart) - Beauty (Flower) - Cherish (Treasure) - Sweetness (Chocolate)
- Hug - Kiss - Family - Cuddle (These can be their own objects.)
- Friendliness (Smile) - Kindness (Helping Hands) - Compassion (Lotus Flower) - Forgiveness (Hand Shake or Hug)
- Love (Heart) - Joy (Smile) - Compassion (Lotus Flower) - Peace (Dove)
Use the ideas above, mix and match them or create your own. First, think of an inner quality associated with Valentine's Day that your group would like to grow or strengthen. Then, think of a real and familiar object that will help the kids understand the more abstract qualities. Then incorporate them into the script. That's it!
My version of the script is in the MINDFULNESS LIBRARY. Just click the button below to get your password for instant access. Or if you already have your password, you can head straight there to download the script.
And at last, the third activity for valentine's day- savoring chocolate
What Valentine's Day is complete without some chocolate? So, let's make eating chocolate a mindfulness activity for your classroom this Valentine's Day.
Mindful eating is about slowing down and really noticing all parts of the experience. Just use the five senses as your guide.
HERE'S WHAT YOU DO
First, give each child a piece of chocolate to explore and notice. Then, ask the questions below as they experience their piece of chocolate with all five senses. There are probably too many questions here so pick and choose the ones that work for you.
- What does your piece of chocolate look like? Shape, color(s), texture, size, etc.
- Next, what does it smell like? Is there something else that smells like it? Do you smell more than just chocolate, maybe it's filled with something or is salted on the top? Does the smell of chocolate bring up a feeling or a memory?
- How do you feel having the chocolate in front of you and not being able to eat it yet?
- Now, use your ears to listen to your chocolate. Does it make a sound? Is it saying something to you? What if you tap it on the table?
- Next, have them pick up the piece of chocolate, and ask them what it feels like in their hand. What is the texture, does it start to melt?
- Have them take a small bite. What did it sound like? What does it taste like? How does it feel in your mouth? Are there any emotions or feelings stirring around inside you? Memories?
- Last, have them take a bite of chocolate and leave it in their mouth to melt, no chewing or swallowing. Can you let it melt completely without chewing it? How does the melting chocolate feel in your mouth? How does it make you feel to leave the chocolate without chewing it?
TRY THIS, TOO
An additional piece to this mindfulness activity is to follow the journey of the chocolate from a seed on the cacao tree to their mouth. It's actually quite a process. How many people have helped to get this chocolate from the seed to their mouth, how far has it traveled, how did it travel- truck, plane, car? What other things were involved- sunlight, water, sugar, machinery?
Chocolate is one of my favorite things. If I listen, I can definitely hear my chocolate saying, "Eat me, eat me!!" 🙂 And, I do!!
You can find a similar mindfulness activity in the eBook, "14 Simple Ways to Add Mindfulness to Your Preschool Day". Click the button for free access.
I hope you find love this Valentine's Day, first with yourself, and I hope all of your relationships are strengthened with love and friendship.
Let me know in the comments, which mindfulness activity for Valentine's Day you're going to try first.
~ Dawn
