Strategies to help children to focus

Heartbeat noticing

Children need to learn how to focus on the here and now.

Sit with the children on the floor. Tell them close your eyes and listen to your heart. Put your hands on your chest and feel the heartbeat. Feel how the beats slow down.  Take a deep breath. Exhale. Slowly, open your eyes.

The mindful jar

Children need to focus attention to calm down.

Fill three quarters of a clear jar with water. Add a spoonful of glue glitter and close the lid. Shake to make the glitter swirl. This is like your mind when you have strong feelings. They don’t let you see clearly. Leave still for a while. The glitter goes down and the water clears. This is how your mind calms down when you breathe deeply. You can think clearly.