"Cultivating Compassion" ~ Mindfulness Session Inspired by Marcus Rashford, "Little People, Big Dreams" Book
We are so happy to share with you the activities from a recent session at Misty’s Angels, led by our team member McCall Kelly. We are doing things slightly different with this post, by sharing McCall’s notes too, to help provide you with insight and guidance as to how you can implement a session like this in your classroom and your work with children.
This theme was inspired by the story of Marcus Rashford with Manchester United, and his incredible work supporting children in England, through his #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign.
“Whatever your feeling, opinion, or judgement, food poverty is never the child’s fault. Let’s protect our young. Let’s wrap arms around each other and stand together to say that this is unacceptable, that we are united in protecting our children. Together we can end this problem.”
Thank you McCall for leading this beautiful “Cultivating Compassion” session! You can find the activities and how to begin discussions below!
Thank you to the Douglas County Commissioners, especially Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson for your support! It is because of you we are able to support children through these sessions! Our partnership with Commissioner Borgeson resulted in receiving a 2023 NACo (National Association of Counties) Achievement Award for our youth programming.
Also thank you to Alisha Davis of Davie Grams for the beautiful photography!
Marcus Rashford, Little People, Big Dreams on Amazon
“Cultivating Compassion” Mindfulness activities For Children ~ By HERE Team Member, McCall Kelly
Intro: We started the session with talking about what compassion was. A lot of really great educated guesses from the kiddos. The older kiddos in the group seemed to have a better idea about compassion compared to our younger ones. A few of the kiddos responded with "Compassion is having sympathy" and "Compassion is how we feel.”
We discussed that compassion can be showing kindness to someone when they may be going through a hard time. It could be showing that we understand and recognize what they are experiencing. We discussed how it's being there for someone and being mindful of how they are feeling. Ultimately we said that compassion is showing that we care.
This led us to our story.
STORY: MARCUS RASHFORD, LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG DREAMS
“What a great story for these kiddos to learn about compassion. They were very attentive to the story and really seemed to enjoy it. This story allowed us to transition into our next activity of reflective self-talk when we discussed the story and things that stood out to them.
Reflections from the Children
"I really liked this story because Marcus ended up giving back to his community. It made me happy to hear that because there are people who get rich and don't care to help others."
"I liked the story because it shows that he worked hard to get to where he is now."
"I like that he felt rich before he was even rich."
Another kiddo brought up the pandemic and talked about how the schools here provided them with iPads so they could keep learning. It was a great moment to reflect on how our Omaha Public School District was providing meals for families during the pandemic as well. We also reflected on how Marcus is a real person and how he pays it forward now in his life to help end childhood food poverty. They liked seeing the real picture of Marcus at the end to see that it was a real person.
This activity led to our Mindful Breathwork.
MINDFUL BREATHWORK
“Let’s bring our hands to our heart center to connect to our breath.” This gave everyone an opportunity to close their eyes and think about all of the people that they care about. I encouraged them to think about the people who have helped them during challenging times or people they helped during their challenging times. I encouraged big, deep breaths, breathing in through our nose and out through our nose.
This led into our next activity of mindful movement.
MINDFUL MOVEMENT: yoga for compassion
We went through a series of Yoga poses. We started in “Easy Pose” and then went through a few variations. This led us into “Seated Cat/Cow” and eventually to “Tabletop.” From “Tabletop” we transitioned to “Cat/Cow” then “Down Dog.” There were a lot of giggles in “Down Dog.” We took it into forward fold where we transitioned to “Mountain.” We moved from “Mountain” to “Tree Pose.”
In “Mountain” we talked about being strong and rooted to the ground and ourselves.
We transitioned to “Tree” where we talked about how a tree is needed to provide shade and shelter and how we can each be like a tree. We then transitioned back to the ground where we completed “Hero” and talked about being a hero to others. We then completed “Camel” and “Child's Pose.” In “Child's Pose” we talked about loving ourselves and others. We transitioned back up to a “Warrior” sequence to finish our mindful movements.
This led to our first game.
yoga memory + yoga freeze dance
I would name off yoga poses and they would have to try and remember what the poses were. The girls did really well with this activity. After completing Yoga Memory, we went into Yoga Freeze Dance. One of the girls at the beginning of the session asked if we could do Yoga Freeze Dance today. 🙂 We did two songs worth. This time, when the music would stop, they would freeze and then I would point at the kiddos randomly asking them to tell me something that they really love. Majority of the kiddos responded with a family member. One kiddo replied with "Myself" which I stated it's so important to love ourselves.
This led us to our next activity.
compassion circle
We made a circle in the class. I asked the kiddos three questions and told them they could pick one to answer.
Can you think of a time that you were compassionate to someone else?
Can you think of a time someone was compassionate to you?
If you can't think of a time of being compassionate, what is something you want to do to help in your community.
We referred back to Marcus giving back to charities and how he donates money to these charities to help feed children. I also gave a few other examples, like if a friend fell down and got hurt. Or if a neighbor had a house fire and lost everything in it. I started the circle off by stating it's a safe place to talk. Then, we discussed being respectful when each of our friends are sharing and giving each person time to share. I started the circle off by passing a yoga block to one of the girls. Once each kiddo got the block, it was their turn to share. One of the girls shared how she gives back to the community by helping her church group. Another girl stated that she would like to give back to the community by helping to pick up trash. Majority of the class shared a time when they got hurt and their mom was there to help them. Another participant shared how she had a nightmare and woke up scared but her mom was there for her when she woke up. Everyone got a turn to share and there were a few who wanted to share more than once.
Such a loving group of kiddos who really care about their families. 🙂 This led into the last activity.
Compassion Meditation with Savasana
I told them they could find a comfortable position to rest their bodies. I told them this was time to reflect on all the people we care about in our lives. I played soft music and invited them to close their eyes. I ended up going a little over in time because they wanted to rest little longer. Two of them fell asleep during this time.
The HERE “Calming Cuties” for the “Cultivating Compassion” theme
In a world of calm and caring grace,
The Cuties teach kindness in every embrace.
With hearts so gentle and hands held wide,
They show compassion with arms open wide.
Their actions speak louder than words can convey,
In every little gesture, they brighten someone's day.
A smile, a hand, a listening ear,
The Cuties' compassion is always near.
In this realm of learning where values bloom,
The Cuties help hearts dispel any gloom.
So let's learn from them, each day a new start,
Cultivating compassion, sharing kindness from the heart.
As we wrap up this post, we cannot go without expressing gratitude to Marcus Rashford and his exemplary efforts to eradicate childhood hunger. His compassion and dedication inspire us to look beyond ourselves and serve the greater good. It is with this spirit that we developed the “Cultivating Compassion” theme ~ To cultivate mindfulness not just for our own well-being, but as a tool to better engage with the world around us. Thank you, Marcus, for showing us the transformative power of kindness and community.
