Hello friends!
I teach playful mindfulness and self-compassion lessons in schools, and today I’m inviting you into a few K5-4th grade classrooms to see how I help kids open to goodness and take in good things.
Do you ever have those days when you’re fixated on what is wrong and have a hard time taking in what’s right? Ummm…me too friends. And this is NOT our fault. Every human brain is hardwired for survival, which means that we focus and ruminate on negative things to try to avoid bad things.
And the good things? Well, they tend to quite literally slip away. Psychologists call this the negativity bias. Rick Hanson says that our brains are like velcro for the negative and teflon for the positive. But we don’t have to stay stuck in the negative. There are things we can do to help.
In my work with kids, we call this growing the “Sunny” habit. Sunny is one of five resilience animals (I know…it’s not really an animal!) that build resilience and well-being.
I like to remind kids that even on cloudy days, the sun is still there. It’s just hiding behind a cloud.
Recently in some of my K5-4th grade classrooms we focused on the Sunny habit as we embarked on our first adventure in Volume 2 of the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids. After a playful comic on savoring, we made our way to our first activity: Glitter Glue. (You can peek at the workbook page below.)
I used a few simple props to make it come alive as a whole-group lesson. Here’s what you’ll need if you’d like to try it with kids at home, school, or wherever you interact with kids: a construction paper person cut out, masking tape, three white strips of paper, glue (glitter glue makes it extra fun).
(Note: You can see a short video of me teaching this lesson in the paid subscriber edition of this week’s newsletter.)
Here are the steps:
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I held up my cut out person and told kids, “This is You.” Then, I explained that every day some good things and not-so-good things happen to all of us. (This helps kids normalize ups and downs.)
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Next, I asked kids to share three good things from their day—little things like having breakfast or playing outside—and I wrote each good thing on a slip of paper.
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Then, I asked kids to tell me three not-so-good things from their day, and I wrote each negative thing on a piece of masking tape.
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I held up my “You” cut out and alternated placing the positive pieces of paper and not-so-good pieces of tape on the person as I narrated. The “negative” tape stuck and the good paper strips slipped off and fluttered to the floor. *The kids’ reactions to this part are so much fun!*
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I asked kids what they noticed. Kids shared that the difficult things stuck, and the good things fell down. “Yes,” I responded. “This is like our brain.”
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I got out my bottle of glitter glue and glued the strips of positive things onto “You.” Because we need to apply a little “glitter glue” to good things in life to help them stick!
Afterward, we did a few more activities that help good things land—including noticing our five senses and taking “cookie breaths.” When something good happens, taking deep breaths and attuning to our senses can help the good moments stand out and stick in our minds.
I also reminded the kids that good things don’t cover up or push away bad things. They are both a part of life!
I hope this playful lesson helps you to intentionally notice and soak in good things, too. Remember, the negativity bias isn’t your fault, AND there are things you can do to help the good things be salient in your mind!
Wishing light, love, and good things,
Jamie Lynn