The snow is gone and the sunshine has come back! Yay!

DON’T FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR TAKE HOME CRAFTS FOR THE WEEK! This week you and your child will be making your own Mindfulness Jars!

This week we learned about mindfulness. Mindfulness is just a fancy word for being aware of what is happening right now. Helping young children practice mindfulness is extremely beneficial to them. It helps with emotional regulation (calm down when upset), focus, relaxation, better sleep, kindness to oneself and others, and many other benefits as well. It is never to early to start being mindful, and odds are it will help you too!

For our books this week we read “Calm Monsters, Kind Monsters, A Sesame Street Guide to Mindfulness”, by Sesame Street. We also read “Hurry Up! A Book About Slowing Down” by Kate Dopirak.

This link will take you to a very easy to do activity that any young superhero will love, activating their “spidey-senses”!

http://kidsrelaxation.com/uncategorized/spider-man-practicing-mindfulness-and-increasing-focus/

Here are some songs you can share with your children to help practice mindfulness through music:

https://bitsofpositivity.com/free-mindfulness-songs-for-kids/

Check out this link to find simple, engaging mindfulness activities you can do with your Preschool aged kiddos: https://blissfulkids.com/category/exercises/

Other simple ways to practice mindfulness:

Go for a walk, stopping every few minutes to be still and quiet, then talk about what you and your child heard, smelled,  & saw

Color quietly or with relaxing music quietly playing

Blowing bubbles slowly, paying attention to the breath in through the nose and slow breath out through the mouth to make the bubble

Watching clouds

Squeeze different parts of the body for 5 seconds then slowly let go with big breaths

Have your child give you a “weather report” to tell you how they are feeling. Do they feel sunny? Cloudy? About to rain?

We talked about the Letter Z this week. We have reached the end of the alphabet! We have also reached the end of the month. This is the last week to take advantage of  $3 Winter Wednesdays at the Sedgwick County Zoo!

Some other Letter Z ideas:

If you can’t make it to the zoo, make the zoo come to you! A fun activity to do with your children is to pretend you are different animals you would see at the zoo. Talk about each animal and then draw them.

Learning how to use a zipper is not only an important skill but it can be a letter Z activity too.

Next time you are in the car go on a Zero hunt. How many zeros will you find on signs and license plates?

Make Zero monsters! Draw a large Zero for your child and let them turn it into a monster. If you have googly eyes, even better!