Book Review – What’s Going On Inside My Head? By: Molly Potter

The importance of children’s Mental Health has been hitting the mainstream of societal concerns. The importance in developing positive mental health strategies is now being seen by parents, carers, educators and health care practitioners as a basic life skill. But, sometimes we can find it hard to explain to children what positive mental health is all about.

Molly Potter has created an amazing book that breaks down positive mental health into its different aspects in a child friendly way. Each chapter focuses on a different area of positive mental health in terms that are not over simplified but in a way that helps children grasp mental health concepts that can support them for life. Each two paged chapter is beautifully illustrated by Sarah Jennings and opens up discussions between parent/carer/educator that allows children to learn more about what is happening inside their head in 12 individualised areas. Everything from, “How should I think about myself? to “What do I do with emotions?” to How can I improve my thinking habits?” are a part of this book. Finally, there is a three page section on “Guidance for parents and carers” that provides tips for supporting positive mental health and help develop resilience.

This is definitely a book every home and school should have and use to support the development of positive mental health in children.

This book can be bought at Bloomsbury: https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/whats-going-on-inside-my-head-9781472959232/

or Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whats-Going-Inside-Head-conversations/dp/147295923X/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Molly+Potter&qid=1559470260&s=gateway&sr=8-5

…. and Breathe! A Mindful School Community

It may seem that I have been a bit quiet over the last few months.

As a full time Headteacher (Principal) in a school filled with challenges and in need of lots of TLC, I can easily become overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job.

I tend to throw my whole self into the needs of my school. My passion is deep and I fight tooth and nail for what is right for the children of my school.

I am lucky. I am not alone in my passion. I am surrounded by a group of people (staff and governors) that are equally passionate about what we are doing to change life chances for children. But, we need to take care of one another.

Top Tips for Being a Mindful Member Of a School Community

1- SMILE!

Smiling can change our brain, through this powerful feedback loop. Every day your brain keeps track of your smiles. It knows how often you’ve smiled and which overall emotional state you are in.

On average, children smile over 400 times a day. Whilst happy adults still smile 40-50 times a day, the average, however, is only about 20 times.

So, be mindful of your smiles. They are good for you and good for others.

2- CRY!

I know that for some, crying is seen as a weakness. I don’t see it as a weakness. To me it is a sign of release. I admit, I am an emotional person; always have been. I cry when I am happy, when I am sad, when I am scared, when I am mad, when I am frustrated… I think you get the idea! Crying is a release. Crying allows you to be in this moment in time and release the built up anxiety stored in your body.

A good mindfully driven team understands that and allows each other to have those moments without judgement and with understanding.

3– Show Gratitude and Spread Kindness

Take opportunities to show gratitude and spread kindness. How this looks in each school community will be different depending on the dynamics. Basically, follow the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you..” This can be as basic as a hug to as elaborate as a Basket Of Kindness (sharing basket).

4- Breathe!

Breathing is one of the most natural things a person can do and an automatic reflex that is hard wired in our brains. However, we sometimes actually forget to breathe! We hold our breathes as if this will freeze time or stop the inevitable from happening. But, the minute it takes to support a colleague in mindful breathing and a friendly reminder to BREATHE can change a situation and support more than anything else.

It becomes something like a secret code word.

5- STOP! 

What people want sometimes is to be listened to with full interest and intention. Take a deep breath, look them in the eye and LISTEN to what they are saying. Don’t allow your mind to wonder and don’t start formulating a response before they finish talking. To them, what they have to say is extremely important and, many times, they don’t expect an answer or response straight away and will usually appreciate the pause that will be required to formulate your response when they are finished talking or the ability to get their troubles off their chest.

Finally, REMEMBER…

Remember that there are no PERFECT people in the world and because there are no perfect people, we can all get caught up in our own passion and despair.; we all have our own battles. A good Mindful team is one that allows for imperfections and raises up those who that need that extra care.

OUR CHILDREN ARE LOOKING AT US AS THEIR MODELS. Be a GOOD one!

#MindfulFocusChallenge- Day 2: The Music Exercise

Today, we use our sense of hearing and consider our emotions during this Mindful Focus activity.

⁃ First, find a comfortable sitting or lying down position.

⁃ Choose your favourite music.

⁃ Take two deep, Mindful breaths, play the music and close your eyes.

⁃ Listen mindfully.

⁃ Pay a close attention to how that music makes you feel.

⁃ What emotions does it evoke?

⁃ Do memories start surfacing? How do those memories make you feel?

⁃ Where do these emotions take you?

⁃ When the music finishes, endwith a few deep mindful breaths and proceed with your day.

Respond in the comments, tweet us @Ed_Tmprince or respond on our Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/educationsvoice/ with #MindfulFocusChallege and let us know how you found this strategy.

#21DaysOfSummerMindfulness Challenge – Day 16 – Developing Mindfulness in Children

Emotional Intelligence is the capacity of individuals to recognize your own, and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour.

The greater a person’s emotional intelligence, the better a person can deal with stressful situations in a way that does not escalate the emotion but allows

The first step in developing emotional intelligence is to get children to understand that their emotions are valid. It is not bad to have emotions, good or bad. It is how they deal with and react to these emotions that makes a difference.

Today’s challenge is to talk about emotions like you talk about the weather with your child. This is one you should do OFTEN and EVERY day!

Ask your child,

-What emotion are you feeling right now?
-How does it feel? Is this a good emotion to have in control?
-How can we change emotions?

Validate emotions when you see them in your child and give them a mindful strategy to use?
Example:
-“You are upset because you hurt yourself when you fell down. It is ok to be upset. Now, you need to breathe to get control of that emotion.”
-“You are angry at your sister for disturbing your game. It is ok to be angry. Now, you need to do the starfish hand meditation to get control of that emotion.”

Don’t forget to share your child’s #mindfulmoment and successes in the comments, on Twitter @Ed_Tmprince or on Facebook at Education’s Voice – Mindfulness ( https://www.facebook.com/educationsvoice/ ).

Mindfulness in the Classroom- Emotional Intelligence

Some experts say that mindfulness is the foundation of emotional intelligence.

Google’s, Search Inside Yourself, programme looks at the latest research in neuroscience and ancient contemplative wisdom to help their leaders fight distraction and to grow emotional intelligence by being more present in the moment.

In the Google training, participants undergo attention and mindfulness training exercises designed to build emotional intelligences. Google believes that these skills are crucial for successful leadership and performance of its employees.

If Google, a highly successful multi-national business, puts this much significance on mindfulness and emotional intelligence, shouldn’t we, as educators, want to be developing these skills in all children to allow them to be successful as well?

Exactly what is emotional intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence is the capacity of individuals to recognize your own, and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.

Then, the first step in developing emotional intelligence is to get children to understand that their emotions are valid. It is not bad to have emotions, good or bad. It is how they deal with and react to these emotions that makes a difference.

What are a few mindful strategies to develop emotional intelligence in children?

• Talk about emotions like you talk about the weather- Often and every day!
  • What emotion are you feeling right now? How does it feel? Is this a good emotion to have in control? How can we change emotions?
• Use Inside Out (The Movie)- Many teachers find this movie a useful resource for teaching about emotions and controlling emotions.  There are a lot of resources online that have been created by teachers and parents using the movie.  A couple of useful free resources are:
  • Inside Out Emotions Flash Cards- Emotions Flash Cards
  • Free printable emotions sorting game- Emotions Sorting Game
• Track your emotions with a diary or chart
  •  Have the children track their emotions for the day or at a certain time each day. Discuss how they are feeling? How does their body feel? Why do they believe they are feeling this way? What can they do to change their emotion if they are not happy with the emotion?
    • Free Weekly Smiley Face Emotion Chart-
    • Emotion Chart 1
    • Free Weekly Morning/Afternoon Smiley Face Emotion Chart
    • Emotion Chart 2
    • Free Simple Smiley Face Emotion
    • Emotion Chart 3
    • Free, “How Would I Respond?” worksheet- Great for discussing emotions and what would be a calm response-
    • Emotion Worksheet
•  Guided Reading- During guided reading sessions, have the children identify the emotions of the characters. Questions: Have you ever felt these emotions? Can you relate or empathise to how they are feeling? What could they do to change their emotion?
• Recognising Emotions- Emotion Card Activity
  • This helps children to accurately recognise and name their own emotions and is appropriate for both ASD, children that have problems with emotional awareness and all other children. Emotion Cards
  • Using an Emotion Thermometer- Free printable emotional thermometer pictograms- Emotion Thermometer

 

What have you found successful in your classroom?