Swings + Roundabouts Summer 2023

Mindfulness games for young children By Dr Stephen McKenzie & Angela North Within the book, Mindfulness at Play are mindfulness games which will help children remember what they already naturally are — mindful, happy and free. It will help develop immunity to modern mindless business and stress by building on what children do better than anybody — enjoy learning. Act like an ape Apes sometimes copy what other animals or people do — just for fun! ‘Simon Says’ is a children’s game that was invented a long, long time ago. Whoever invented the game might not have intended it to be a wonderful way of helping people pay full attention, and receive those benefits; however, that’s what it is! While most of us know how to play ‘Simon Says’, for those who don’t it is essentially a game in which one person is the leader (Simon) and directs other people to say or do so something. Simon starts each order 01. Bee still. 02. Feel a buzzing in your body. 03. Maybe it’s in your toes. 04. Maybe it’s in your nose. 05. It doesn’t matter where it is. 06. Feel the buzzing growing stronger. 07. Feel the energy — the life in your body. 08. Feel it flow and grow! 09. Just allow the buzzing to bee … and bee stronger and stronger and stronger! What was it like feeling your body buzzing like a bee? What was it like to just bee? Huff like a horse and puff like a dragon We can huff in happiness in a game of draughts when we take our opponents’ piece. We can huff and puff, and blow with the sentence: ‘Simon says to …’ For example: ‘Simon says — put your hands on your head!’ ‘Simon says — spell elephant!’ Everyone watches and listens carefully to what they do or say, and then does exactly the same thing. Sometimes Simon will give an order that does not start with the sentence ‘Simon says’ and that means the others in the game do not follow the order. The trick is to be listening and watching very carefully so as not to get confused between what is the real order and what is not. Does watching and listening make the game more fun? Does watching and listening help you do well at the game? Buzz like a bee This game helps us remember our natural state of full awareness by enabling us to recognise it first in ourselves and then in everything we do. December 2023 { 36 }

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