3 Creative Mindfulness Activities To Welcome Spring
As we approach the season of spring, we can reflect on our challenges and triumphs over the past few months, and look towards the brighter days and months ahead of us. At this time of change, it is also a good time to remember the benefits of tuning into the world around us, by taking moments to pause and observe, enjoying the blue skies, the sounds of spring, and life re-emerging around us from the winter.
Opening ourselves to the healing powers of spring can be beneficial for our everyday well-being and also for the health and happiness of children and families around us. We hope you enjoy these three creative mindfulness activities for spring, as well as some bonus mindfulness activities you can do at home, in the classroom, and with your work supporting children.
by jen armstrong, msc and here co-founder
1. Growing Kindness
This can be a collective activity for the whole family or classroom to complete!
Get a blank piece of paper and display it up on the kitchen fridge, or as you walk into the classroom. Explain that on this page there is space for trees to be drawn, and each tree represents an act of kindness, growing strength and love within the home or classroom.
On each tree is a few words which acknowledge an act of kindness you have seen or been on the receiving end of. No names are used, as it is a collective effort to fill the page full of trees by the end of a set time, which could be at the end of each day or week.
To begin, you can draw the first one for the littles as an example for when you notice someone doing a kind act!
2. Go For a Listening Walk
Now that its getting warmer, it is a great time to get outside more!
It can also help to refocus attention when we take a 5-10 minute break to breathe some fresh air and to rest our attention on the things we notice around us.
Try going for a walk outside, even just for five minutes, and stay silent for a few of those minutes. Explain to the little ones that during the silence, they will all tune their ears into the sounds around them and notice what they hear.
At the end of your listening walk, you can take a moment to discuss all of the sounds that were heard, whether from nature or people, traffic or construction. This can be your five minutes of mindfulness every day throughout spring! The more we practice mindfulness in our every day, the more we can learn to calm and relax our minds in those moments of need.
3. Flower of Appreciation
Similar to our “Leaf Breath,” we can now practice with flowers as more of them begin to appear and bloom around us. You can use petals that have fallen on the ground, flowers from an arrangement that is nearing the end, and/or draw and design a flower in the way you would like!
With the drawing activity, you can write down words on the petals of all the things you have achieved or done which you feel happy or grateful for. Fill your flower with all the joy and accomplishments that have filled your year so far!
Once you have finished, you can practice your flower breathing! Just like the Leaf Breath, you can run your finger along each petal as you take a slow breath in, and run your finger back down the other side of each petal on a calm breath out. You can take as many slow, calm breaths just like this for each petal on your flower.
