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One day, third-grade teacher Kyle Schwartz asked her students to fill-in-the-blank in this sentence: "I wish my teacher knew _____." The results astounded her. Some answers were humorous, others were heartbreaking-all were profoundly moving and enlightening. The results opened her eyes to the need for educators to understand the unique realities their students face in order to create an open, safe, and supportive place in the classroom. When Schwartz shared her experience online, #IWishMyTeacherKnew became an immediate worldwide viral phenomenon. Schwartz's book tells the story of #IWishMyTeacherKnew, including many students' emotional and insightful responses, and ultimately provides an invaluable guide for teachers, parents, and communities.

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I Wish My Teacher Knew Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse i wish my teacher knew resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Lay out two long ropes parallel to one another and have students line up in the middle. Call out a set of opposites like sweet or sour, day or night, cat or dog. Students will jump over the left rope if they prefer the first one or over the right rope if they prefer the second one. Give them a minute to look around, then have everyone return to the middle. This activity is a good way to get to know classmates better and to see who they have preferences in common with.

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This fun game is a lot like the game show Password. Split your class into two teams and have them sit together in teams facing the whiteboard or chalkboard. Then take an empty chair—one for each team—and put it at the front of the class, facing the team members. These chairs are the “hot seats.” Choose one volunteer from each team to come up and sit in the “hot seat,” facing their teammates with their back to the board.

Prepare a list of vocabulary words to use for the game. Choose one and write it clearly on the board. Each team will take turns trying to get their teammate in the hot seat to guess the word, using synonyms, antonyms, definitions, etc. Make sure team members work together so that each member has a chance to provide clues.

The student in the hot seat listens to their teammates and tries to guess the word. The first hot seat student to say the word wins a point for their team. Once the word is successfully guessed, a new student from each team sits in the hot seat, and a new round begins with a different word

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This is a great activity to support nonverbal communication skills. Choose ten students to participate in the first round. The others can gather around the edges and watch. Designate a player one. To begin, player one makes eye contact (no words or hand motions) with another player (player two) and gives them a signal that means go. When player two says go, player one starts moving slowly toward them to take their place in the circle. Player two then makes eye contact with another player (player three) and gives them a signal meaning go and starts moving toward them. The objective of the game is to time each player’s command so that each player makes space for the others in time. After the first round, switch out the teams until everyone has had a chance to play.

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As a way to improve communication and cooperation, give each person a letter of the alphabet when he enters the meeting. Allow five minutes, or any time allotment you choose, for a group to come together to form a five to seven letter word.

Each employee must go around the room and find other people with letters that can form a word when they stand together. Vote on the most humorous word formed and award simple prizes, such as candy bars or key chains

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Scroll down for some great mindfulness for kids videos and guided meditation.

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Mindfulness is an important part of self-regulation and the ability to regulate our senses, feelings, and body. It's a skill that allows us to be aware of our body without responding rashly. Mindfulness for kids is important in the ability to pay attention and responding to input from the world around us, including emotionally and cognitively. The mindfulness for kids YouTube videos listed in this post can be a tool for many skills.

For kids, mindfulness is noticing their body and the things happening around them. It has a lot to do with impulse control. Just like any other skill, mindfulness is an ability that develops over time. There are ways to hone in on this skill to make mindfulness a tool for kids to use.

How to Help Kids Develop Mindfulness

We talked more about mindfulness in kids in our winter mindfulness activities for kids. Use the strategies there to help with self-regulation, coping skills, attention, focus, and more in our Additionally, Related read: Here are more winter mindfulness for kids post.

Kids can use mental imagery to calm their body and pay attention to their body , their breathing, and their emotions. When kids slow down to notice these quiet functions, they can relax and build attention. There is growing research on integrating the mindfulness into the school environment to address needs such as attention and social emotional resilience.

much research indicates the positive benefits of mindfulness in kids and in the school setting. When helping kids to understand mindfulness, it can help to ask them to focus on the sensations they are experiencing. What do they see when they imagine a scene with their eyes closed? What do they feel as they calm down and take deep breaths? What do they hear at the moment?

executive functioning resources to fill your therapy toolbox!

Mindfulness for Kids YouTube Videos

As a related read and bonus resource, these
When working with kids on paying attention to their body and the sensations around them in order to help with attention and self-regulation, a guided video can help. The Mindfulness YouTube Videos listed below are those that can be used in a small group or a classroom setting with kids. Use the videos to help bring attention and focus and how kids feel.

self-reflection activities for kids may help.

Scroll further down and you will find a handful of videos that can help explain to kids exactly what mindfulness is.

The Listening Game | Cosmic Kids Zen Den
Breath Meditation for Kids - To teach kids to pay attention to their breathing

Mindfulness Meditation for Kids - This video focuses on bringing attention to specific parts of the body and how they feel while being present in the moment. At 5 minutes in length, this would be a great short video to have in your therapy toolbox or for use in the classroom as a mindfulness break.

3 Minute Body Scan Meditation - This video uses a three minute exercise to guide students through a body scan as a way to get in touch with the body. By following along, kids can relax and release pent-up emotions, while training attention.

Peace Out Guided Relaxation for Kids- This is another 5 minute video that allows kids to explore their thoughts and feelings as a way of c alming themselves so that we can feel calmer and happier whenever we need to.
Guided Meditation for Children - This guided meditation video uses a rainbow waterfall theme and music to imagine they are visiting a magical waterfall that washes away stress and worry and replaces.
Soothing Sleep Music for Children- This video is a three hour selection of soothing tones and calming music to help kids fall asleep.
20 minute Guided Mindfulness Exercise- This video would be appropriate for older children or teens who are interested in following a guided exercise.

Videos to teach kids about mindfulness:

Kids Explain Mindfulness- This video is an interesting take on mindfulness from kids' perspectives.

Mind the Bump- is another informative video that explains information on mindfulness, the brain, and the importance of mindfulness and meditation.

Teaching Mindfulness To Children At Home And In Schools- This video teaches students about mindfulness and how it can help you reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. This is a video for older children.

The Science Behind Mindfulness Meditation- This video explains about the science of meditation and the power of the mind, using recent studies of neuroscience.

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Mindfulness for Kids YouTube Videos - The OT Toolbox

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Mindfulness is an important part of self-regulation and the ability to regulate our senses, feelings, and body. It's a skill that allows us to be aware of our body without responding rashly. Mindfulness for kids is important in the ability to pay attention and responding to input from the world around us, including emotionally and ...

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Ideas for our Homecoming Bash on Sept. 30

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Ideas for our Homecoming Bash on Sept. 30

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Melting Exercise - Learn To Destress | Guided Meditation For Kids | Breathing Exercises | GoNoodle

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Mindful Nature Walk

Before coming back inside from recess (or even a fire drill!) Pause and practice using our senses:

Hear: wind rustling and leaves crinkling

See: changing leaf colors and leaves falling

Feel: bark texture and wind blowing

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https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga/videos

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"kids yoga" "yoga for kids" "yoga for children yoga story for kids" "children's yoga" "yoga adventure for kids" "kindergarten yoga" "preschool yoga" "kids me...

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YOGA | MINDFULNESS | RELAXATION FOR KIDS! Screentime that gives kids SUPERPOWERS! ⬇️ D O W N L O A D T H E C O S M I C K I D S A P P ⬇️ 🍏Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cosmic-kids/ 🛍️Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cosmickids 🖥️ Desktop (great for teachers!): https://app.cosmickids.com/ 📺 Roku: https://rb.gy/44r8d -------------------------------------------------------------------- Why watch on the App?

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How to Make a Glitter Jar

You can use a mason jar, a spice jar, or even a plastic water bottle for this practice. Be sure to use glitter that sinks rather than floats. Adding some glycerin to the water slows down the fall of the glitter.

If you’d prefer to avoid using glitter, you can make a more eco-friendly version by using different-colored beads, a mix of food coloring and oil, or even pieces of LEGO you already have.

Fill the jar to the top with water. Have your students pick three colors of glitter: one to represent thoughts, one to represent feelings, and one to represent behaviors (or “urges to do things”). Drop a few pinches of each color glitter into the water, which represents their mind, and maybe a few drops of food coloring. Seal the jar with its lid or duct tape.

With each event they name, swirl and turn the jar, demonstrating how it becomes difficult to keep track and see clearly what our thoughts, feelings, and urges are.

Then, as the glitter is swirling, take some time to practice your deep breaths. Keep taking slow, deep breaths- in through your nose- out through your mouth, until all of the glitter settles on the bottom. Feel your calmness.

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Students will complete a questionnaire regarding their favorite things, home life, family members or anything that our students would be excited to share; after students complete the questionnaire they will speak with their classmates to see what they have in common. At the end, students will share one friend they have something in common with (ex: favorite color).
Example Link:
https://s18670.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/find-a-classmate-who.pdf?sfvrsn=0