How does practicing mindfulness build self-awareness in kindergarten students during distance learning?

Seminar Title

How does practicing mindfulness build self-awareness in kindergarten students during distance learning?

Social and Emotional Learning

Kindergarten

Elementary

Other

All Disciplines

Kindergarten students come to school with such a vast range of abilities and experiences regarding their social and emotional learning. Some students are only children or have been home all their life, while other students have had many social interactions at daycare centers or at home with their siblings. Some students come to school with experiences of significant traumas while others have lived a fairly “sheltered” and privileged life. Some have had personal experiences with regulating emotions while most have not (unless of course they have grown up watching Cops and Judge Judy). Regardless of the environment from which these students come and the experiences that these students bring, it is important that all students learn how to get along with each other in a productive and caring way. That’s where WE come into play. My action research focuses on the social and emotional concept of self-awareness. Students benefit from the ability to acknowledge how they feel and to practice self-regulation. To give students experience with these skills, I implemented various mindfulness activities every day during morning meeting in my distance learning kindergarten classroom. I incorporated activities such as yoga breaks, calming breathing exercises, mindful video lessons, self-reflections, and books--all of which I am willing to share. Although my research did not go exactly as planned, through my findings I discovered that in general my students enjoyed these activities and have benefitted from learning how to be mindful of their body. Both parent and student surveys I gave have shown growth my students have made from practicing these skills. My research on social and emotional learning is relevant to all grade levels and is easily adaptable to other disciplines. I believe that you will be able to learn some strategies that can be adapted to any age and implemented into any learning environment.