Teaching Sequence

15 minutes

Tune In: Watch the episode

20 minutes

Find Out: Practising mindfulness

20 minutes

Take Action: Take it further

Tune In: Watch the episode

Step 1.

Begin by watching the Bluey episode Piggy Back.

Bluey 'Piggyback' - ClickView (https://clickv.ie/w/tnTw)

Piggy Back synopsis: The Heelers take a long riverside walk but Bingo’s legs are tired and she wants a piggyback. To distract her, Mum and Dad invent fun games to get her little legs moving again.

Step 2.

Reflect on the episode with children using the following prompts

I wonder how Bingo felt on her walk?
Have you ever felt like Bingo before?
Where was it? What did you feel? Did someone help you? Or did you help yourself?

Prompting 'I feel...' thoughts allows children to reflect on their emotional responses, fostering empathy and developing social and emotional skills. These thoughts, rooted in the heart and intertwined with prior experiences, provide a platform for sharing and understanding others' emotions. 'I feel...' discussions create a safe space for expression and encourage children to consider others' feelings without judgment, nurturing a supportive environment for emotional exploration. For more evidence-based advice on developing oral language in children, click here.

Some notes about Social And Emotional Learning
Developing emotional intelligence is a life-long learning journey. Helping children recognise their own thoughts and feelings is essential to children growing into happy and healthy bigger kids and eventually adults.

In order to improve children's social and emotional understanding, evidence suggests that learning should be embedded regularly into activities and daily interactions. In addition, young children need steady guidance and support from caregivers; this is crucial as children learn by imitating the healthy norms modelled and reinforced by the adults they are close to.

The ultimate aim here is to improve the ways children interact with each other, think of others and positively navigate the world in pursuit of their goals.

Find out more about social and emotional learning here.

Find Out: Practising mindfulness

Preparation

Create a quiet and peaceful area. Bring in different elements for relaxation, pillows, blankets, soft music and low light levels. The space should be inviting and encourage slowness and stillness.

Step 1.

Invite the children to come into the relaxing learning space. Guide them in simple breathing exercises to help them be calm and relax.

Read the following out loud:

Mindfulness is being purposeful in everything we do, even when we breathe. Slowing down, thinking, connecting and feeling the little things. Let's focus on our body and how we feel when we breathe in and out. When we are mindful we can focus on our breath. As we take in our breath we bring it right down into our tummy. We hold it gently for two seconds then slowly breathe it out. As a group, lead everyone slowly and purposefully in breathing exercises. Can we do this slowly and gently four more times?

Mindfulness equips children with strategies to persevere through difficulties by helping them manage their emotions and thoughts. It aids in achieving set goals, whether simple tasks or aiding others. Crucially, mindfulness cultivates the ability to remain calm amidst new experiences or stress, emphasizing present-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. As children develop mindfulness practices, they enhance self-management skills, enabling better control and communication. Utilizing statements like 'I'm feeling...' paired with actionable steps fosters a positive shift in mindset.

Find out more about mindfulness here.

Step 2.

Gently begin to talk about mindfulness, addressing the idea that we can use mindfulness to change our focus, and we can switch what we are thinking to help us when things get tough.

Begin by focusing on Bingo on the river walk. Use these questions as you talk to help guide the children, inviting them not to share their ideas out loud. Instead, they should hold their ideas in their heads and imagine what is happening while they continue breathing:

What happened to Bingo on her walk?
What did she want from her dad?
What ideas did they have to help her tired legs?
Why didn't Bingo's dad just pick her up?
How did they focus on other things to help Bingo?
Did this help Bingo's mindfulness and change her focus?

Step 3.

Work with children to come up with some new ideas to help them when things get tough. All of these activities could be completed outside. These ideas could include:

Leaf shape hunt - Try looking for a particular shaped leaf, such as a long and skinny leaf, or a round leaf. Or look for a leaf that has a particular colour or pattern, such as a red, green, grey or spotty leaf.
Jumping jacks - How far can I jump? Can I jump over that leaf? Can I jump over that twig?
Creature walks - Walk like a crab. Walk like a tiger. Walk like a chook. What other animals can you walk like? Is there a bird in your yard that you can copy? Are there any bugs or ants that you can copy?
Racing cars - I’m a fast racing car. Now I’m a slow tractor. Now I’m a zipping scooter. Now I'm a sailboat.

The educator can gradually step away as children continue to create new mindfulness games.

Take Action: Take it further

Step 1.

Encourage students to create their own mindfulness games and share it with others.

Step 2.

Share the Zones of Emotional Regulation chart with children and talk about what actions they can personally do to get themselves back into the green zone when they are feeling blue, red or yellow.

Mindfulness - Taking a Mindful Breath

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