Are you ready for school this fall?

Summer is FUN!    Summer is SPECIAL!  But are you Ready for School?

When summer ends we need to be ready!  Ready for  reading, paying attention, getting things done on time,  showing discipline and concentration.

OH NO!  IT CAN BE HARD TO GET READY

Tai Chi for Kids is a great way to begin.  Tai Chi helps us:

1. take some time for centering and think about what is going to happen next
2. find self-control to perform as we want perform
3. slow down and relax, plan ahead
4. feel proud and be ready to face the future.
5. feel grounded and connected.

More and more schools are using mindful activities to improve school readiness.

Below are 2 examples that can inspire you to find ways to bring mindfulness to your school.

1.  Here is a great quote from the Niroga Institute. “Young people, especially those growing up in the urban cities and high poverty areas of our country, are victims of chronic stress and trauma. These kids need tools for stress resilience and trauma healing. Without these tools their sympathetic nervous systems will remain in overdrive as they try to protect themselves from real and perceived threats and danger. The latest research in neuroscience shows that this state of chronic stress or trauma physiologically turns off the brain’s ability to focus, regulate emotion, cope with stress, and empathize with others.”

At Cherryland Elementary School Principal, Dr. Itoco Garcia said

“Chronic absences decreased by 19% and the overall absenteeism rates dropped by 13%”  after Mindful Activities such as Tai Chi , Yoga, Meditation.  

Mindfulness leads to an improved learning atmosphere

2. Nancy Lindgren, Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist uses Tai Chi  in the public schools to improve balance.  It helps children who are disabled to become more defensive and aware when walking in the halls.  They learn to go with the flow.   Nancy has been involved in many tests using Tai Chi with children  experiencing a variety of challenges.  Here is a quote from Nancy:

“For students especially, I believe that the increased large muscle input that Tai Chi demands leads to calming in the nervous system; that the structured movement is organizing to the brain and could lead to improved memory and learning on cognitive tests, and that the mind and body in sync will lead to calmness, less violence, better behavior, and improved self-report measures of quality of life.”