Pinterest, Mindfulness, Minimalism

For my Knowledge Sharing/Tracking Project, I decided to use Pinterest as my social media tool. I have never used Pinterest for anything other than looking at home decor and tattoos, but it is a useful tool to collect and curate information. I like that it is very visual, you have to have a picture to go along with the website. The ability to comment is also great, so I remember why I saved the information int the first place! 

Collecting the information that pertained to my topic was easy; I used Google, Pinterest, and a lifestyle Facebook group that I follow. The act of cultivating that collection was engaging. I looked for similar resources that I had collected, then chose the best of those. Going through each of my resources intentionally made me think critically about the information that I was going to keep. 

Cultivating the collection also felt like a form of minimalism, I am a big fan of minimalism and enjoy finding new ways to practice. I may go through some of my other collections of websites (like my bookmarks) and create Pinterest boards to help trim the fat. 

If you are interested in the resources, I have collected them here on this blog. You can also visit the Pinterest board at https://pin.it/1Sm7seR

Times have been a little crazy recently. 2020 has not only been hard on adults, but also our youths. Even the youngest of our children feel stress, and their own, and the stress of the adults around them. Children have been out of routine due to school closures, and lack of routine can be hard on people. So this summer, I want to encourage parents and caregivers to add MINDFULNESS to your child daily routine!

I have gathered some resources that include activities that you can complete with your children. There are so many to choose from, do not be overwhelmed! Even building in mindful breathing into your child's daily routine can have benefits.

1.) Wondering what Mindfulness is? Here is a way to explain it to your kids, and it has a great infographic :)

Bergstrom, C. (2016, March 15). Mindfulness and the Brain—How to Explain It to Children. Blissful Kids. https://blissfulkids.com/mindfulness-and-the-brain-how-to-explain-it-to-children/

2.) You may have seen Big Life Journal Ads on your social media, here is a link that provides a few free resources, if you like it, consider buying the journal!

biglifejournal.com. (n.d.). 5 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children. Big Life Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/5-fun-mindfulness-activities-children-breathing-exercises

3.) A couple more simple mindfulness activities, FREE!

5 FREE Mindfulness Activities—The Pathway 2 Success. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://www.thepathway2success.com/5-free-mindfulness-activities/

4.) This youtube video is geared toward younger children, but any age group can benefit! I especially love the "Finger Breathing."

5 Mindfulness Exercises for Kids 🌟😊. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsy2L9VvX90

5.) A straightforward worksheet, but can be adapted to a mindfulness activity that can be done anywhere. For younger children, you can read the prompt and have them verbally respond or maybe draw a picture?!

Mindfulness: The Present Moment | Worksheet | Education.com. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/mindfulness-the-present-moment/

6.) Ok, so not precisely mindfulness, but resiliency is also important! The website also has mindfulness activities if you need more inspiration!

23 Resilience Building Tools and Exercises (+ Mental Toughness Test). (2019, March 23). PositivePsychology.Com. https://positivepsychology.com/resilience-activities-exercises/