Kindness curriculum
An ideal activity for outside the classroom that improves academic achievement because it creates the conditions for successful learning. It is a good example of a network of benefits - the benefits of LINE and the benefits of prosocial behaviour which create the pre-conditions for learning.
Researchers found that kids who had participated in the curriculum earned higher marks in academic performance measures and showed greater improvements in areas that predict future success than kids who had not. The results were recently published in the journal Developmental Psychology.
http://news.wisc.edu/23437
- Create a quiet space.
Find a spot where you and your children can pause for a few moments and develop a sense of familiarity with quiet. Notice how we may become aware of things around us and in us in a new and different way. - Pay attention with purpose and curiosity.
Take a walk outside and try to notice sounds of all types. Or, try a mindful eating exercise and slowly, with quiet attention, explore a food item with all of the senses before eating it -- noticing the smells, colors, textures and any sensations of pleasure or displeasure. - Pause and notice your breath.
With children, explore the breath by having them lie on their back and notice the movement of the chest or belly as the breath moves in and out of the body. Try using other moments in the day as opportunities to bring attention to the breath as well, for example, when stopped at a red light, before answering a phone call or text message or while waiting in line. - Offer caring wishes.
Practice caring and compassion for ourselves and others by offering wishes such as, “May we be happy, may we be safe, may we be filled with love.” Caring wishes can be used when we experience discomfort before taking a test, when an emergency vehicle passes with its sirens blaring, or simply to send kindness to another person, knowing that we all wish to be happy. - Practice gratitude.
We can cultivate gratitude in simple ways; for example, we can take a few minutes to reflect on the good things that happened during the day, keep a list of people and things for which we are grateful and/or create a gratitude journal using words and pictures.
See here for a brief description at about 32:00 in the recording:
