At STEMful, we balance structured STEM-based activities with an opportunity for kids to explore science, technology, engineering, and math concepts. Our programs not only expose kids to STEM but also teach them important social skills that will help them in the classroom and beyond. Developing these soft skills is essential to improving learning outcomes and in getting along with others.
What Is Mindfulness?
While the word mindfulness may evoke yoga, breath work, and meditation, those are simply some of the practices that people use to reach a state of mindfulness or awareness and being present. At STEMful, we aim to teach our program participants to be mindful of other children and respectful and considerate of their boundaries and to be empathetic, creating a safe space for all to learn.
Mindfulness at STEMful
While STEMful’s programs aim to teach kids about STEM using structured experiments and projects, our team also understands that every child is different and may have sensory or emotional responses to stimuli that may make some of those experiments challenging. We are attuned to when kids are ready to try something and encourage them to participate but are not forceful.
STEMful emphasizes mindfulness in our programs by establishing our Community Agreements, a process that involved everyone. “Kids had agency in offering their own feedback about rules that they feel are important for a safe and successful classroom environment. It makes behavioral considerations a lot more manageable when our teaching team is able to remind the kids that our Community Agreements were something they had a hand in deciding together. Together, we are always reviewing ways that kids can keep each other on the right track with kindness and respect,” says David, STEMful’s camp and after-school programs manager. “It’s always very rewarding to see the resulting mindfulness in action and makes for a more harmonious community atmosphere here at STEMful.”
Tips for Practicing Mindfulness with Kids at Home
Whether you’re new to the idea of mindfulness for kids or are a pro and just aren’t sure how to translate it for them, there are ways you can impart these principles to your child at home to help them excel both in the classroom and beyond. Here are some ways you can model or teach mindfulness to your kids:
Teach Boundaries
Knowing how to establish and respect boundaries is an important life skill that goes a long way toward making your child’s experience at STEMful more productive and fun. If your child grabs a toy from a friend or sibling or touches another child without their consent, encourage them to reflect on how they might feel if in their friend’s position.1 Ask, “How would you feel if your friend shared their toy with you? Or gave you a hug when you didn’t want to be hugged? How would you want a friend to respond if you were upset?” Offer explanations for why different people may have different reactions, and help them reflect on their own feelings in order to understand how others may feel.
Explain Rules Are for Everyone’s Safety
Some kids may bristle at rules in the classroom or at home, but rules are essential to everyone’s safety, especially in a science lab. If a rule is particularly challenging for your child to follow, discuss why that rule is in place.2 If your child is comfortable with it, role-play or use toys to demonstrate what might happen if a rule isn’t followed, such as running instead of walking in a crowded hallway.
Talk About Bodily Autonomy
Younger children may have a difficult time responding to tactile stimuli that make them uncomfortable, such as constricting clothing, new foods, or certain sounds or textures (such as slime) that may be used in a classroom. Rather than force them on kids, adults can use them as teachable moments to help children understand bodily autonomy. Teaching kids to be mindful about how they respond to something external can help boost their confidence and feelings of safety. For example, if you have decided what and when your children’s mealtimes are, perhaps let them decide how much they would like to eat, rather than forcing them to clean their plate, and trust them to know when their bellies are full.3
By practicing mindfulness and awareness at home, you can help your child have a positive experience in social situations, in the classroom, and in STEMful’s programs. If you have questions about mindfulness practices at STEMful or would like to enroll your child in one of our programs, reach out to us at info@stemful-sf.com.
- Rae Jacobson, “Teaching Kids About Boundaries,” Child Mind Institute, April 19, 2024, https://childmind.org/article/teaching-kids-boundaries-empathy/.
- IRIS Center, “How Can Teachers Help Young Children Learn Expected Behaviors?,” in “Early Childhood Behavior Management: Developing and Teaching Rules,” IRIS Center, accessed September 30, 2024, https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ecbm/cresource/q1/p04/.
- Cleveland Clinic, “Autonomy in Children: How To Start Talking To Your Kids About Consent,” Cleveland Clinic, October 12, 2023, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/autonomy-in-children.