Suquamish Elementary Learning Resources: Mindful Minutes

 

Play helps us grow cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially. It is a great way for families to interact with each other and be fully engaged. Many games we play teach us important life skills. Through play, we learn how to read social cues, we learn how to develop trust, and it helps to increase personal awareness. Play also has the ability to develop a sense of community and it is great for team building. Play allows us to loosen up, be curious, and most important of all… have fun!

“Simon Says”

This is an old classic, that helps children practice mindful seeing, mindful listening, and greater awareness. It’s good for children and fun for adults. All you need is some space to move around.

1. Designate a “Simon” to lead everyone (it might be best for an adult to play Simon first).
2. Simon stands in front of the other players and instructs them to do physical movements (e.g., touch your nose, balance on one foot).
3. The players should only do what Simon instructs them to do if he or she says “Simon says” at the beginning.
4. If a player follows one of Simon’s instructions that is not prefaced by “Simon says,” he or she is eliminated from the game.
5. The last player standing wins.

Once you finish the game, talk to your child(ren) about how hard or easy it was to follow the instructions and pay attention to the “Simon Says” at the beginning. Discuss the importance of paying attention and being present.

***A Fun twist on this game is to play “Yogi Says” and incorporate some yoga poses into the game.

“Egg, Chicken, Dinosaur!”

This is a fun and interactive twist on “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. Children and adults of all ages can play this game. It is meant to be played in complete silence. All of the communication you do is nonverbal, so you have to pay attention to the people you are playing with and read their cues.

1. Everyone starts out as an “Egg”. Put your hands over your head and connect your fingertips together to look like an egg.
2. Walk around the room and find a partner. You and the partner play “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. The person who wins, evolves into a chicken and begins walking around the room putting their hands under their armpits and flapping them like they have chicken wings. The person who lost, remains an egg.
3. Continue walking around the room and finding someone who is at the same level in the game as you (eggs match up with eggs, chickens match up with chickens, etc.)
4. If you are a chicken and you win the next round of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, then you evolve into a dinosaur. You get to move your hands in front of you like a T-Rex. The person who lost to you goes back to being an egg and continues through steps 1 - 4.
5. Continue walking around the room and finding someone who is at the same level in the game as you (eggs match up with eggs, chickens match up with chickens, and dinosaurs match up with dinosaurs)
6. If you are a dinosaur and you win the next round of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, then you become a cheerleader. You get to stand on the sidelines and silently cheer for the remaining participants. The person who lost to you goes back to being an egg and continues steps 1 - 6 until they become a cheerleader or until everyone decides to stop the game.

“Bubbles, Sidewalk Chalk, Glow Sticks, and Bouncy Balls, Oh My!”:

If you have any of the above mentioned items at home, just pull them out and have fun! The important thing is to PLAY!!!! Here are some other great ideas for sensory activities that you can do to play and be mindful:

“15 Simple Sensory Activities that Teach Mindfulness”  https://lemonlimeadventures.com/simple-sensory-activities-that-teach-mindfulness/

 

Outdoor Games:

Tag, Hide and Seek, Capture the Flag, Frisbee, Hacky Sack, Slip and Slide, etc. are all ways that you can play all while enjoying the weather and getting some Vitamin D.

 

Card Games:

Speed, War, Concentration, Solitaire, Memory, etc. are all great games that you can play and all you need is a deck of cards!

 

Board Games:

Now is the perfect time to be playing board games with your family. Here are a list of some all-time favorites:

 

Jenga                                              Scrabble                                          Scattegories                                   Clue                                                 Chess                                              Checkers

             

Monopoly                                       Sorry                                               Guesstures                                          Charades                                        Twister                                           Apples to Apples

 

Win, Lose, or Draw                       Chutes and Ladders                      Candy Land                                   The Game of Life

 

 

If you are in the market for some new games where the focus is on mindfulness, here are a couple of good places to start:

https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/mindfulness-games/

https://www.developgoodhabits.com/mindfulness_games_kids/

 

 

Try taking some time for yourself today. Rest. Relax. Breathe. Be Mindful. Be Kind to YOU!