Play with contrast

Bean TIP: Play with Contrast

One of the most helpful tools I’ve discovered for getting kids to cooperate during class is to play with CON/TRAST.  If you want kids to stand still in Mountain pose, for example, first let kids wiggle around and jump.  If you want kids to be quiet while repeating a mantra in their head first let them say it out loud in a BIG VOICE. 

Using contrast not only engage kids and fosters cooperation in learning, it’s use as a mindful anchor of attention can help reduce an overly heightened stress response in thoughts and feelings. This suggestion comes from Susan Kaiser Greenland in her book Mindful Games: Sharing Mindfulness and Meditation with Children, Teens, and Families.