A St. Patrick's Day Gratitude Meditation, what now? Gratitude is a word we usually associate with Thanksgiving, and so I'm sure you plan plenty of activities around feeling thankful and grateful for your kids during that time.
But, what if we changed the words grateful and thankful to 'lucky'? We can certainly express our gratitude when we are feeling lucky about something. So let's join in and share the "Luck of the Irish", and I'll show you how you can incorporate a gratitude activity into your St. Patrick's Day theme, too.
St. Patrick's Day Gratitude Meditation
The St. Patrick's Day Meditation is a kid-friendly, guided story for practicing gratitude. It allows your kids the time and space for expressing gratitude for the things they feel 'lucky' for.
Here's What you need:
- The St. Patrick's Day Meditation script
- 3 plastic, gold coins (or something that represents gold) for each child
- Black pot for each child (you can purchase these or make them using clay, paper mache, or cereal containers)
Here's what you do:
- Start a discussion about the words, lucky, treasure, and gratitude. Have your kids brainstorm some ideas around people, places, and things they treasure and feel lucky for, so they are ready for the meditation.
- Have your children sit in a circle with their gold in front of them just to the right and their pot just to the left. Remind them that this is a time to be silent, to listen, and to notice. Let them know that there will be time to share their experience after the meditation.
- Read the script using a slow, calm voice, and pause where it's indicated.
- Allow some time for sharing after the meditation. When children hear the experiences of others, it allows them to be open to fully noticing and sharing their own experiences. Sharing also helps children remember details they may have forgotten and find meaning in symbols they may have seen. It will help them integrate the messages from meditation into their life.
- Use the questions that follow the script if you need some inspiration for discussion and sharing. A drawing or other creative activity following the meditation also helps to process the experience.
Related: Pebble meditation for Kids
The St. Patrick's Day Meditation packet is in the Mindfulness Library. It includes the instructions, the script, discussion questions, and drawing/writing prompts.
Just click a button below for access to all of the free resources in the Mindfulness Library, including the St. Patrick's Day Meditation packet.
Success tips for your St. Patrick's Day Meditation
- Remember, they are kids. They will talk, they will move around, and some may not want to do the meditation at all. It's ok. You might not think they are getting anything out of it, but trust me, you will be amazed with the things they have to share after.
- You don't have to read the whole script or ask all of the questions in it. Make your guided story as many minutes as your children are years old. So, that means four minutes for a group of four year olds.
- Use the questions that follow the script as inspiration for your discussion. I've also included drawing/writing prompts to help your kids integrate and understand their experience even more.
PRACTICE GRATITUDE EVERYDAY
Don't wait for Thanksgiving or St. Patrick's Day to incorporate gratitude activities into your preschool day. Practicing gratitude has been show to positively impact social and emotional well-being, as well as personality qualities and physical health.
Use this meditation often, just swap out the gold pieces and black pots for props that match your theme or season.
And, you can find an easy way to sneek in some daily gratitude in the Mindfulness eBook, "14 Simple Ways to Add Mindfulness to Your Preschool Day". Check it out, if you haven't already, it's on page 7.
Do you have ideas for mindfulness activities inspired by St. Patrick's Day? Share them below.
~ Dawn
