Peaceful Kids is an 8 week Mindfulness and Positive Psychology based program to lessen anxiety and stress and increase resilience in children from Prep to Year 12. The program gives children the skills, practice and support to utilize coping strategies that lessen the symptoms of anxiety and stress. This program helps children to build their emotional resilience so they are better equipped to deal with the day to day stresses that life brings them. The program also involves parental involvement and commitment to supporting the strategies at home.
Life Long Coping Skills
Children learn life long coping skills such as:
- A range of Mindfulness Meditations.
- Positive psychology exercises.
- Techniques to lessen worrying.
- A range of practical and expressive coping strategies.
- Problem solving strategies.
- Journaling and expressing worries.
- Facing challenges and fears step by step.
- Preventative strategies to help prevent stress build up.
- Being attuned to their own bodies and minds.
- Understanding and recognising their own feelings.
- Being in the flow and enjoying more of the present moment.
Aims of the Program
- To minimise the symptoms of anxiety and stress.
- To build emotional resilience.
- To empower children to self-manage their anxiety.
- To teach children Mindfulness exercises they can use for life.
- To build a reservoir of strength to enable children to cope with life more effectively.
- To minimise anxiety symptoms occurring in the future.
- For children to use a range of effective coping strategies.
- Teaches children how to self-calm.
- To develop emotional intelligence skills.
- Teaches children lifelong skills to manage stress and prevent stress build up.
- Supports children so they know they are not alone with suffering from anxiety.
Children learn
- Basic theory on Mindfulness and how it affects the brain and lessens stress and anxiety.
- The different ways to practice Mindfulness and integrate it into their lives.
- Their feelings and how this relates to anxiety and stress levels.
- Understanding stress and how it relates personally to them.
- Understanding triggers for stress and how to calm down when feeling stressed.
- About the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety and learn how to self regulate.
- Worrying and how it affects their happiness.
- Different types of thinking that increase anxiety or lessen anxiety.
- Creating a balanced lifestyle including lots of chill out time and being in the flow.
Program Structure
Peaceful Kids is an 8 week program for a small group of children held at school led by one of our Peaceful Kids trained leaders.
- A group of 4 to 6 children participate each week over an 8 week period.
- Sessions are for approximately 1 hour each week.
- Sessions include learning a range of mindfulness strategies and meditations, effective coping strategies and positive psychology exercises.
- Children learn a new meditation each week and then practice at home on a daily basis.
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s wellbeing, please contact our Wellbeing Leader Ms Catherine Joyce. There are ongoing opportunities for children to be involved in the Peaceful Kids Program.
Email: catherine.joyce@sfoakpark.catholic.edu.au
