Embodiment practices are important for self-growth, learning, and awareness. Read about embodiment practices for kids in school and at home.
What is Embodiment?
The word embodiment can have several different definitions, depending on how it’s used. In the dictionary, it’s defined as having a tangible form of a feeling or an idea. While this leads to thoughts of mind-body connection, the idea of embodiment practices takes this definition a step further.
Embodiment practices suggest the idea that there is an unbreakable link between the mind and body. The University of Minnesota, defined it as, “our movement and body makes visible all of who we are.” Uniting mind and bodyis important work because it enhances our relationships with ourselves and others. Also, embodiment supports self-growth, awareness, and the development of mindfulness. As one therapist said, “we might say embodiment is a state in which your entire intelligence is experienced as a coherent unity attuned to the world” (EmbodiedPresent). Because our minds and bodies are strongly connected, we learn best when we use both.
To put it simply, embodiment practices in the classroom involve learning and connecting through both movement and thought.
Why Teach Embodied Learning?
It’s easy to overlook learning through movement or mind-body exercises. However, implementing these practices can be extremely beneficial. Embodiment practices incorporate the relationship between the brain, academic achievement, and bodily movement (Educational Media International). Therefore, there is great value in teaching embodiment learning. It helps children develop kind, enriching relationships with themselves and others. In addition, it creates impressive results in cognitive abilities and short-term learning.
Research shows positive outcomes when implementing embodiment practices. In one study, 52 elementary students participated in embodiment learning activities. The students were tested before and after the duration of 4 months. Areas tested included cognitive and academic performance, general learning, observations from their teachers, and interviews. The results showed remarkable effects. Children’s short-term memory and academic performance improved dramatically (Educational Media International). There are additional studies that show similar outcomes.
In a study exploring embodied cognition, college students were given a math problem about a triangle. The students were then broken up into two groups. The control group sat in front of a computer that projected the problem. They had pens and paper available to use. The second group, however, had to stand in front of the computer and had no supplies, though they could use gestures. Those who did not use any strategies were the least successful (11.5%). Those who used pen and paper were more successful (27.3%). However, those who used hand gestures, or whole-body learning, did the best. Of those who used smaller gestures, 34.3% were successful. But those that used bigger movements, or “dynamic depictive gestures,” were correct 63.6% of the time (Shapiro and Stolz). In this instance, we can see that embodiment practices helped both academic performance and cognition.
Embodiment Practices in the Classroom or at Home
Embodiment learning involves the whole body during the cognitive process. As a result, there is a connection between new ideas and movement. One example of this learning style is children adding by tossing bean bags and counting. Another embodied learning activity is children singing and clapping out a spelling song. All of these methods combine movement with cognition. There are many ways to incorporate the mind and body, whether through academics or through other mind-body exercises such as yoga. Each activity has its own unique benefits.
Embodiment Learning Activities
There are many creative embodiment learning activities you can use at home or in the classroom. Some of them include:
Acting: Act out a story, event, or article.
Dance: Implement dance in your curriculum, using movement to express math, science, or other subjects. Whether stomping to create counts or dancing like wildlife ecosystems, it is a great way to connect the body and the mind.
Mazes: Make a maze out of sticks, stones, rope, or other material and have children navigate through it.
Music: The brain absorbs information extremely well through music. Whether teaching a formal music lesson, or implementing a musical activity, music is a great way to get students singing and moving. Sing songs for different subjects to assist with learning anything from science to social studies to math. Add hand movements to the songs for embodied learning.
Yoga: Bring a little yoga into the classroom or your home. An easy way to start is to watch or download free yoga videos online.
Sensory Play: Create with play-doh, make slime, and include a variety of other sensory play activities in your schedule.
Games: Some motion censored games, such as using a Wii or virtual reality can help teach skills. They can even help with teaching English as a second language.
Art: Draw comics, or paint a scene from a book or an event in history.
There are many easy, fun ways to incorporate embodied learning activities. They do not have to cost a lot of money, and yet they are well worth it to improve retention and understanding.
When people think of mindfulness, they often think of meditation for adults. However, children can learn mindfulness with incredible emotional, physical, educational, and social benefits. In this article, we discuss the benefits of mindfulness for children and provide examples of mindfulness activities for the classroom.
What is Mindfulness
The practice of mindfulness was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn over 30 years ago. This practice is also known as Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). It is defined as: “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” (Child Mind Institute) This mindfulness practice is well known for teaching children to focus on the present moment while easing anxiety.
Benefits of Mindfulness
The benefits of mindfulness in the classroom are vast. School environments may present stressful situations for children, both socially and academically. However, these stressors can be mitigated with mindfulness. Furthermore, studies have shown that learning mindfulness helps increase students’ focus, which helps them academically, while also helping them avoid negative behaviors (Harvard).
One study, conducted by researchers at the Boston Charter Research Collaborative, showed incredible promise. The researchers included staff from MIT, Harvard, and others. They studied 6th graders who learned mindfulness in an 8-week course. The results showed that the students who participated in the research study had lower stress, and were more able to focus and regulate their emotions. Brain scans also demonstrated that the part of the brain that responds to stress had responded less to stressful stimuli.
In a similar study, Stanford University studied students in 4th to 6th grade over 8 weeks of mindfulness training. They found that the participants had significant decreases in anxiety, and were less emotionally reactive. Additionally, students felt more able to handle challenges in their daily life, and also felt control over their behavior. Lastly, like the Harvard study, students had increased focus and experienced a sense of well-being (Child Mind Institute).
These results are so important because it shows that children thrive academically and emotionally when they are able to focus and be present. Reducing anxiety and stress increases students’ ability to focus and retain information, which is critical to their success. On a social-emotional level, children experience more acceptance and positive interactions with mindfulness. By avoiding negative behaviors and reactive emotions, their interactions with peers and teachers improve. This fosters a rich dynamic where students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Therefore, a mindfulness curriculum can play an important part in the classroom.
Mindfulness in the Classroom Activities
How can you teach mindfulness in the classroom? There are numerous ways to incorporate mindfulness activities. Many of them take 5 minutes or less and provide an excellent start to each students’ day. Here are some mindfulness in the classroom activities you can incorporate into your classroom:
1. Guided Meditation
This is surprisingly easy with apps that do the work for you. Have students sit or lie down with the lights dimmed, and encourage all students to participate in a guided meditation. If students do not want to participate, simply have them sit quietly. Praise the students who did the activity and ease back into the classroom setting by discussing how they feel afterward (VeryWellMind).
2. Guided Activities
One example of a guided activity is to have students mindfully eat a raisin or piece of fruit (Vanderbilt). Students can touch, look at, and chew a raisin for a full 5-10 minutes. This activity encourages self-awareness and increases their attention span. Additionally, this activity can teach children to slow down and appreciate life moment to moment. Students can journal afterward about the experience or discuss it in a large group.
3. Journal Writing
This activity is appropriate for children ages 6 and up. However, younger children can draw pictures instead. Appropriate writing prompts can include questions such as: what are three beautiful things you heard today? Or, what are three urges you resisted today? For older students, these prompts can become even more thought-provoking and challenging to get them thinking introspectively. (Positive Psychology).
4. Mindful Breathing
Teaching students breathing techniques is another great way to teach mindfulness. Helping students to focus on their breathing is an important technique for stress reduction. Students can sit or stand, and inhale air through the nose for 3 seconds, hold for 2, and exhale for 4 out of the mouth. For best results, it is important that students stay focused and aware of their breath and how they feel during the exercise (Berkeley).
5. Mindful Body Scan
In this activity, students should either sit or lie down. This activity begins with focusing on breathing to relax. Then, students are asked to relax their bodies bit by bit. Instruct them to start at their feet and move upwards slowly to their head, until every part of their body is relaxed. It requires concentration and commitment, and rewards students with deep relaxation while providing relief from stress and anxiety. (University of Minnesota).
Vary mindfulness activities to help students stay engaged and focused.
Mindfulness curriculum does not have to take long—in fact, just 5-10 minutes a day. The time spent on these activities is often returned, as student behaviors and focus are improved. Less time is needed to address behavioral issues. This allows the teacher to teach and the students to learn. By providing mindfulness in the classroom, we empower children to be successful socially, emotionally, and academically. That is worth a few minutes each day!
The effects of social isolation on children remain a complex issue. There are a variety of situations that can lead to a child feeling isolated. The impact of the global pandemic has made this all the more visible. The pandemic has increased the number of children who experience isolation — many for the first time in their lives.
How do you identify feelings of social isolation in your children? This article will examine the symptoms, and causes of social isolation to help you better understand the issue and how to reduce its effects.
What is Social Isolation?
Social isolation is when someone feels excluded from others and experiences loneliness (WHO).
Effects of Social Isolation on a Child
Social isolation can stunt a child’s development in numerous ways. It can make children anxious in social settings and unable to interact with their peers or adults. It can also prevent a child from learning. Humans are social beings that learn from one another. Therefore, the lack of interaction can reduce momentum in academics as well as hinder social and emotional growth. Social isolation has also been linked to negative impacts on mental health.
Causes of Social Isolation
COVID-19
The most obvious instance of social isolation is lockdown and other social distancing measures we’ve navigated due to the pandemic (Let There Be Health). This way of living has made it difficult for children to interact with others, including their own family members.
Mental Health
Mental health such as depression and anxiety can cause social isolation. Anxiety is a prominent instance of this because a child may find social situations uncomfortable (Tulane University). Depression and hopelessness can also prevent a child from finding valid reasons to engage, meaning they withdraw as a result.
Learning Disabilities
Some children learn differently from others. For example, children with ADHD may find it difficult to interact with others. Sometimes, this is due to acting differently than their peers in social settings. Difficult interactions can make a child feel they don’t fit in and it can sometimes lead to bullying, which discourages them from engaging with their peers (Contemporary Pediatrics).
Identity
Children may struggle with their identity. They may find it hard to engage with others if they are aware of their differences, or if they simply feel they are different (Beyond Differences). It is important to create inclusive environments to reduce the anxieties and fears children feel regarding their identity.
Symptoms of Isolation
Social isolation can present a variety of symptoms. Symptoms and causes of social isolation have long been researched (Psychiatric Times). Below we explore these symptoms.
Anxiety
A worried child may act out, such as whine or talk back more than usual. Irritability is an indicator that a kid is uncomfortable and they may find it hard to verbalize their frustration directly. This frustration and lack of verbalization can lead to more serious consequences in the future. Spotting signs of anxiety and addressing these early on helps to prevent the child from developing depression and becoming a socially isolated adult later in life (National Geographic).
Hopelessness and Depression
If your child begins to find it difficult to think positively about situations, they may be experiencing symptoms of social isolation. They may begin to feel hopeless because they are unable to deal with uncertainty or unknown situations. These feelings can alter a child’s cognitive skills making learning more challenging (Edutopia).
Self Exclusion
This one may not be so obvious. When a child experiences social isolation they may start to exclude themselves more often because it becomes an expectation. If a child always feels they are going to be the last to get picked for group work in class, then they are likely to retreat from engaging with others. The less they engage, the less they get to know others around them. Their expectations are then met and they end up in a vicious cycle of isolating themselves (BBC).
The Amplification of Social Isolation
Contributing factors enhance the likelihood of experiencing social isolation. Children with either physical or mental disabilities are more likely to feel socially isolated (Contact). Therefore, it is especially important to help these children feel included.
How To Reduce the Effects of Social Isolation
Prolonged social isolation impacts the mind, mood, and even the body. Therefore, it’s important to reduce the effects. Here are just some ways to help children deal with social isolation:
1. Create new ways to come together. Due to the pandemic, engagement is entirely different than it used to be. Children may be distance learning, or if they are learning in person, they are wearing masks and are socially distanced. Therefore, it’s important to create new ways to interact with friends online or in a small playgroup. Children need more interactions outside of school to help them cope.
2. Help children experience mindfulness. Mindfulness is about staying in the moment and not worrying about the future. It eliminates what-ifs and creates a sense of peace and calm (Rush.edu). Helping children to cut themselves some slack and stay grounded, helps them to deal with the impact of social isolation.
3. Encourage them to play outdoors. Staying indoors can amplify feelings of claustrophobia, and going outside can relieve that shut-in feeling. Getting some vitamin D may be just what they need. Vitamin D is a mood booster and has been linked with reducing depression (Healthline).
4. Engage in inclusivity programs. Inclusivity programs can help children feel less socially isolated due to physical or mental differences. These programs also help prevent bullying and intolerance, which means fewer children will experience social isolation caused by others.
5. Communicate with them. Let your child know that you are aware of additional stresses due to social isolation. Be available to listen when they need to vent so they know they have you to lean on.
It is often assumed that children are quick to bounce back from difficult situations by default. People tend to think kids have less stress and worries than adults. However, this is not the case. It’s important to implement actionable strategies to help your children grow into more resilient human beings. Emotional resilience is something that requires development. When children are resilient, it reduces anxiety and allows them to cope in healthy ways with life’s ups and downs. Additionally, this is a skill that is necessary in adulthood. In this article, we’ll provide ideas to nurture building emotional resilience in kids.
What is Emotional Resilience
Emotional resilience is defined by the American Psychological Association (APA) as the ability to adapt to adverse, traumatic, or tragic events. It is a life skill to cope well with stress, anxiety, and emotional pain. For kids, this can come in a variety of situations from minor to more challenging cases.
Minor events that may trigger stress in children can include falling out with friends, taking tests, or managing difficult emotions. Major events that create stress can include moving houses, divorce, bullying, or dealing with the impact of COVID-19.
Building emotional resilience in kids is important because you cannot always be around to solve problems for them. Children must learn to cope with minor problems to help them when coping with major ones in the future. Teaching emotional resilience to kids helps them to lead a healthy, fulfilling life.
The Fulcrum of Resilience
There have been various depictions of emotional resilience in the academic community. Harvard furnishes the image of a seesaw with positive and negative outcomes, all balanced on a fulcrum. Even if a child has more negative outcomes than positive ones, as long as they have coping skills and some positive outcomes, this can shift their fulcrum. According to Harvard, “Protective experiences and coping skills on one side counterbalance significant adversity on the other. Resilience is evident when a child’s health and development tips toward positive outcomes — even when a heavy load of factors is stacked on the negative outcome side.”
We cannot always protect children from stressful events. However, we can teach children emotional resilience to make it easier for them to overcome problems when they occur.
How to Build Emotional Resilience
There are many different methods and strategies to help build emotional resilience in kids. The most common factor in children who are emotionally resilient is at least one stable, loving, and supportive relationship with a parent, caregiver, or other adult. These relationships have the benefit of buffering developmental disruption (Harvard).
The list below offers some examples and scenarios to help you identify when opportunities arise to nurture emotional resilience:
Discuss the child’s feelings with them. When children face complex emotions, they might struggle to communicate their feelings. Use these situations as a chance for them to learn about resilience. For example, cancelled plans can lead to a child feeling disappointed and confused. Use this as leverage to explain that disappointment is a natural feeling and that they can expect to feel the same again in the future. Share times when you felt disappointed or let down to demonstrate that you can get over these kinds of feelings. Modeling emotional resilience and how to express feelings in a healthy way teaches your child how to do the same.
Try not to rush a child’s feelings. This can create false expectations. It is important to teach children that getting over negative feelings can take time. Help them understand that patience is vital to recovery. The pandemic has made it difficult to provide certainty to all our lives and children are no exception. Help them to take things one day at a time so they can manage unknowns at a reasonable pace.
Create milestones and goals. Breaking down resilience into small steps will help a child to have something to look forward to. It also helps them understand that resilience is a process.
Help the child learn to accept change. Many situations in life are hard to control, no matter who you are or how resilient you have become. Encouraging children to accept change will enable them to build a more resilient attitude. Moving from elementary school to middle school is a common example of this. Focusing on the new and exciting journey they are embarking on will help them recognise a positive outlook rather than draw attention to what they have lost.
Step back. We want to protect our kids from bad experiences. However, too much intervention may be detrimental to building resilience. Children must learn self efficacy to become more resilient individuals. This means supporting them where they need help, but making sure they have opportunities to find solutions by themselves. For example, if a kid falls out with their best friend, then point them in the direction of apologising or playing with others rather than picking up the phone yourself to call the best friend’s parents or getting teachers involved.
Parental Strategies for Building Emotional Resilience in Kids
Spend one on one time with your child. Try spending 15 minutes reading to them every day, and playing their favorite board games. Other ways to build connection include floor play for younger children, cooking together, and creating art. For older children, card or board games, finding a family hobby, and playing music together are great options. Children who feel like they have an adult they can rely on tend to experience greater emotional resilience.
Model emotional resilience. For example, if you are faced with a difficult life situation, show your child how to cope. Use tools like therapy, talking about feelings, and developing a self care routine. When kids see healthy ways of coping, they learn how to develop their own resiliency.
Help kids keep a hopeful outlook despite tough times. Some strategies for this include maintaining as much normalcy as possible and fostering conversations to express their feelings. Some other tools include encouraging your child to talk about positive events and starting a family gratitude journal.
Make monthly or yearly goals to help build confidence and resilience. Have your child write down goals. The goals should be measurable and reasonable for maximum success. By writing goals as a family and individually, and then following up for accountability, the whole family will become more connected.
Keep the environment as similar as possible. Give as much warning before a change as possible. This will help your child to cope. Similarly, take time to talk to your child about the changes that are occurring and listen to their feelings.
Sometimes, it is necessary to step back to let children learn coping skills. This strategy requires self restraint as a parent or guardian. However, it is necessary for developing their coping skills.
Resilience is like a muscle and must be exercised. The more children are able to exercise their coping skills to everyday life, the more resilient they will be.
With the school year underway, it’s time to talk about conflict resolution for kids. The pandemic has made it difficult for children to engage with each other. Therefore, many have missed out on crucial opportunities to build and develop their skills for dealing with conflict.
Teaching kids about how to resolve difficult situations is important because it equips them with resilience and confidence.
Conflict Resolution For Kids
Conflict resolution education is the act of instilling problem-solving skills in children who are in a dispute. Teaching children about conflict helps them to identify problems. It also helps them choose the best solutions on their own.
A good place to start is demonstrating that problems start small and tend to grow. Teaching them to identify problems as soon as they take place makes it easier for kids to quickly overcome the obstacles they face.
Sometimes problems may go unnoticed in the early stages. This can lead to emotions becoming more intense. Therefore, it is important to teach children about their feelings. Having them identify their own emotions will also enable them to understand the emotions of others around them.
In cases where conflict has snowballed into a large problem, it is imperative that children understand responsibility as well as compromise. Knowing that conflict is a two-way street will encourage kids to act and will enable them to preserve their friendships when things go wrong. Practicing compromise will also help to resolve conflicts where children are not destined to be the best of friends. This will help create a peaceful environment and a productive learning space for everyone.
Occasionally two students will not be able to come to a satisfactory conclusion with their problem. There will be times, even though we want them to figure it out on their own, when adults have to step in and guide them further. Reassure your kids and students that they are able to talk to you about their problems.
Conflict Resolution Strategies in the Classroom
Students need to find strategies for resolving different forms of disagreement. Four major conflict resolution strategies identified by educators are: mediation, process curriculum, peaceable classrooms, and peaceable schools.
Mediation
Many schools use peer mediation programs to reduce conflict. Students have the opportunity to talk through conflicts with trained students or adult mediators. Mediation programs are put in place to reduce punishments such as suspension or detention. Learn about Soul Shoppe’s Peacemakers program.
Process Curriculum
Some schools dedicate an entire course to conflict resolution. This is called process curriculum. It introduces problem scenarios before a conflict ever arises.
Peaceable Classrooms
Peaceable classrooms integrate conflict resolution into the classroom daily through classroom management and daily tasks. This is not a separate curriculum but brings a lifestyle approach to teaching conflict resolution. This approach reinforces cooperation and the acceptance of diversity. It also teaches caring and effective communication.
Peaceable Schools
In peaceable schools, all three of the above approaches are implemented. Everyone in the school including teachers, students, and administrators work together to remain proactive about conflict.
These four conflict resolution strategies work together to reduce school absences, decrease referrals and suspensions while increasing self-confidence and self-respect among students.
Conflict Resolution Activities for Kids
Conflict resolution for kids can also be fun. Here are some easy activities to get kids thinking and learning about conflict resolution:
Brainstorm solutions to specific conflicts with your kids. Preparation will help them when any conflict arises. It will also help you gauge how much work you need to do to develop a child’s conflict resolution skills.
Fill a mason jar full of popsicle sticks with solutions to problems. When a child is finding it difficult to find a way to resolve their issues, they can take a stick from the jar and try that. Kids will learn to think on their feet and use the jar less over time.
Create stories individually or in groups. Ask the kids to think about a story that involves conflict and an ending with a solution. They can present the stories to the rest of the class or to their siblings if done at home.
Tip: Reward good conflict resolution by sending a letter home or by creating a gold-star chart.
Conflict Resolution Games for Kids
Gamifying a child’s learning is a good way to create a rewarding environment that will help to create a lasting impact. Here are some ideas you can use in the classroom or at home:
Role-playing is a fun way for children to safely engage in conflict situations. This can be done with each other or with an adult for more challenging conflict scenarios.
Create a simple game of pairs where children have to match the conflict to the solution.
Play problem-solving baseball. This game is great for more complex conflict situations. Start with the conflict and then work through each base until they reach the solution.
Conflict resolution for kids is imperative for social and emotional success. Soul Shoppe provides conflict resolution training for educators through our Peacemakers program. The Peacemakers program aims to create schools where children are empathetic and peace thrives.
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