Goldminds for You & Your Child
This week the CGS Parent Association organized our parents and students to partake in a Mindfulness Workshop hosted by Cynthia Arscott founder of Goldminds. Goldminds offers mindfulness classes and workshops in schools and at home, along with kid-friendly meditations through the Goldminds App. Our visit from Cynthia was geared towards our children learning and practicing to regulate their big emotions through mindfulness, and how we as parents, caregiver, and educators can support.
CGS hosted the parent session on Monday evening with a wonderful turn out of parents in attendance. In this evening session they dove into the science behind mindfulness, meditation, emotional regulation and how those all lead to improved brain health and mental health. We also learned the importance of co-regulation and finding calm together. We reflected on how our children won’t necessarily always listen to what we say to do, but they will copy what we do: you are a mirror! Cynthia took us through some great kid friendly strategies that our children can actually use and want to practice with us at home.
Our parents were guided through deep breathing exercises to incorporate into their everyday lives for themselves and to do with their children. They were also encouraged to create their own deep breathing routine at home with them to be practiced during calm moments, so they are remembered to be used when stressful times arise. Exercises like inhaling for 4 counts, exhaling for 8, or blowing up balloons slowly, dragon or lion breathes. Choosing the deep breathing strategy that works for your child can take some experimental time, but once you have one that they love, use it, practice it, and they will create a vital tool to use.
Our student sessions took place Wednesday morning where all students from Early Start all the way to Grade 4 worked with Cynthia in the gym. In each class session, all students took part in a guided calming mindful movement release, practiced tools and techniques to use when we are feeling dysregulated, and they were taken through a guided meditation story that allowed them to use their imagination as they calmed their bodies and mind. They all worked through a work sheet where they identified and expressed how they were currently feeling on the rainbow check-in. They were to draw either the colour associated with how they were feeling or draw the equivalent emoji. They then reflected on what things make them calm and were encouraged to draw those, and also share them with their neighbours. All Students were sent home with these worksheets to practice and keep track of our bubble breaths with our parents, so do look out for those. Some of our older students also heard the simple science behind mindfulness, how it leads to strong and happy brains, along with understanding the different emotional state our brain sits in when we are relaxed and calm, versus when we are stressed and on guard.
CGS is so thankful for such a beneficial workshop for both our parents who attended and all the students! Keep up those deep breathing bubble breathes today, tomorrow and always!
Follow Cynthia on her social @goldmindsclass