Wednesday, May 2nd 2018
I lead my audience of 6-12 year olds through an impromptu Mindfulness Exercise today. After having praised some of them on their self-regulation, one of them raised a hand and asked, “What’s self-regulation?” Such a great question.
I told them it’s the ability to choose your actions instead of just going with whatever your first impulse is.
I mentioned having asked a five year old in the previous show why they own an ipad, and how I’d told them to be careful because it can “melt your brain.”
Another child raised their hand and asked, “You mean if you watch TV it can melt your brain?” I said of course everyone has some screen time on TV and computers, but here’s what you can do to build your Higher Brain (prefrontal cortex or operating system) instead.
I lead them through some brief Mindful Breathing and listening and the whole room changed. The feedback I got from the teacher in charge was “I loved the Mindfulness! And at least 90% of them did it!”
The other teacher, whose idea of handling them before the show included banging on the tables with abrasive yelling and threats, said to me after; “You really have control!”
Anyway, lucky I got away with it because it was a Catholic School and I know threatened some practitioners of religions can be, and I’m not certified or anything. Yet.
♠
#SecretJuggler