Children are growing up in an increasingly fast-paced, technology-driven world that can be difficult to navigate and easily become overwhelming.
To counteract that, educators at Holly Bank Nursery in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire – winner of the Health and Wellbeing Award at the Nursery World Awards 2024 – avoid using screens in favour of focusing on the natural environment. They introduce children to simple mindfulness activities, helping support their general wellbeing.
Mindfulness is the act of living in the present moment more and being fully engaged in what is happening in the current surroundings, rather than dwelling on the past or the future. Anastasia Murphy, managing director of Portland Nurseries group, which Holly Bank Nursery belongs to, believes that practising mindfulness with young children is important because it helps them develop a ‘toolbox’ of support to use.
‘We have our own curriculum that focuses on three key words: curiosity, individuality and resilience,’ she says. ‘And we think that a huge part of accessing the curriculum is mindfulness because it comes down to having the patience and determination to learn and try new things and to enjoy them as well. It’s an important part of the children’s lifelong learning.’
Mindfulness benefits include:
- Emotional regulation: It helps children understand and manage their emotions. They can learn to identify feelings, and it helps them develop the ability to pause and respond to these emotions in a thoughtful way rather than impulsively.
- Improved focus and attention: Over-stimulation from screen use, and other factors, can lead to children struggling with concentration. Mindfulness activities help to strengthen children’s attention span and ability to focus on a task.
- Reduced stress and anxiety: Giving children the tools to ‘centre’ themselves and calm their minds and bodies.
- Resilience: Enabling children to become more patient, to step back and think through situations and problem-solve.
- Self-awareness: Encouraging children to tune into their thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations, not ignore them.
PRACTISING MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness can be cultivated through various techniques. When researching how to introduce mindfulness to the children, staff at Holly Bank Nursery realised they were already doing many activities that had this focus. ‘We know that being outdoors and surrounded by nature is so beneficial, so children of all ages are outside for as long as possible every day,’ says Murphy.
Staff focus on a mindfulness activity every day with each age group. Popular activities are:
Cloud watching
‘The children are encouraged to go outside and lie on their backs with the staff, do some breathing work and relax, and talk about the different shapes that they can see in the clouds,’ explains Murphy. As well as being fun, it is a chance for children to have some quiet time outdoors, where they focus on the environment and connect with nature. It can help children to exercise their imagination while also soaking up vitamin D, keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
Barefoot walking
‘Sometimes when children are in their outdoor gear, we may encourage them to take their socks and boots off and walk through a wet puddle or muddy piece of ground, and simply talk about what they can feel and the sensations,’ says Murphy. This can help children develop their fine and gross motor skills such as balance, co-ordination and agility along with strengthening their foot and ankle muscles. It can be a very ‘grounding’ experience that helps regulate the nervous system and promotes wellbeing.
Tree hugging
‘Forest bathing’ – or shinrin-yoku – is an ancient Japanese practice of immersing yourself among trees to relax and reconnect with nature through your senses. ‘Children enjoy making clay faces on trees and then giving the trees a hug,’ says Murphy. ‘Staff often talk to them about how important nature is because being around it all links back to their wellbeing.’ Hugging a tree also helps the body release oxytocin, which is mood-boosting.
Lotus drumming
The lotus drum, when gently banged, creates soothing vibrations. Sitting quietly and listening to lotus drums – or the staff at Holly Bank also use thumb pianos, which make a tranquil sound when plucked – can help children tune into their emotional state in calm moments.
Mindful breathing
Introducing children to breathing exercises can help them to refocus and calm their mind along with physically slowing down and relaxing. It can soothe anxiety and help to deal with situations before they get overwhelming.
Try inviting children to lie down and place a cuddly toy on their stomach. Encourage them to focus on slowly breathing in and out while watching the toy move up and down with each breath. Or, show them how to breathe like a dragon by inhaling slowly through the nose and then hard from the mouth to force the ‘fire’ out.
Sharing books
‘Story time can also be used to reflect on emotions and talk about mindfulness,’ says Murphy. ‘Instead of having large circle times, we like to break off into key groups so it can be more interactive for the children. They can ask questions, talk and share ideas about the books without being interrupted. We want children to be comfortable to talk about their emotions and know that it’s OK to not feel brave or to feel sad.’
WIDER IMPACT
Staff share the mindfulness activities with parents to practise at home with their children.
‘We have found that introducing mindfulness activities, including focusing on there being calm during the day and helping children identify their emotions, has led to us not having to deal with regular behaviour incidents,’ reflects Murphy. ‘I think it is because the children are engaged and can focus, understand their boundaries and have self-awareness, which helps them to self-regulate.’
Supporting staff
Mindfulness can only be shared with the children if they feel secure in the environment and with the adults. ‘For us, it starts with the staff team because without a happy staff team, you’re not going to have a lovely, inspiring environment where children feel welcome, happy and supported,’ emphasises Murphy.
Portland Nurseries has established a long-term wellbeing culture, which is reflected in its low staff turnover – it will celebrate a staff member’s 30 years of service next year. Initiatives include:
- An extra paid annual Wellbeing Day for staff to focus on their own wellbeing.
- Regular wellbeing questionnaires to gather feedback from staff.
- Access to an NHS-qualified therapist.
- Wellbeing boxes packed with useful items, from paracetamol and tampons to deodorant and mints.
- Flexible working.
- Team-building days.
- Simplyhealth cover with medical access including opticians, dentists, counsellors, GPs and physiotherapists.
A highlight of the year is the annual awards celebration where staff from throughout the nursery group’s six settings come together: ‘We have a film showcasing some of their work and we’ll say how many children they’ve supported that year. It really makes an impact and helps everyone to realise how important and valued they are.’
