MINDFUL CLOCK and MINDFUL BREATHING for PRESCHOOLERS
When I co-founded the first Preschool of the Happiness Based Education Project, mindfulness was still relatively new in the local community. Most parents tended to complain about how active their kids are, and their struggles to pay attention for an extended period of time. I first introduced mindfulness to our preschoolers through some songs with some mindful movements to help them return to their breathing to cultivate calm and focus.
The preschoolers all love a song about the mindful clock that goes like this:
“Our school has a clock
Every 15 minutes it chimes
Because it wants to remind all of us
To be mindful and happy
15 minutes have passed
What have I done?
Remember to breathe and smile
To bring joy to life.”
Every time the school clock chimes, all members (teachers, staff and students alike) 1) stop whatever they are doing at the time, 2) put their hands on their abdomen, 3) follow their in-breaths and out-breaths, and 4) smile to relax their faces and whole body. It is such a magical moment to see how the whole school can generate so much energy of peace and happiness when everyone practices mindful breathing together. Listening to the clock chimes and practicing mindful breathing are some habits of happiness our school children cultivate on a daily basis.
