With younger students (these can be elementary or middle school students), I love to bring imagination and play into mindfulness practices! One activity that inspires creativity is having students create their own peaceful visualization. They can do this by filling out a simple worksheet that you can create in just a few minutes!
How to do this….First, create a word document and title it as “My Peaceful Place”. Be sure to include instructions under the title that go something like this: “Name some things that make you feel calm and peaceful under each category”. You may need to alter the language and phrasing depending on the age. If the students are very young and have trouble reading or writing, you can always give them oral instructions or have them draw their visualization on a blank piece of paper. On the document, make a list of categories: Sights, Smells, Sounds, Touch, and Tastes. You are done!
After printing the worksheets, pass one out to each student and have them fill one out. Under Sights, a middle school student of mine wrote “a dock next to a lake on a foggy, misty morning”. She wrote “pine trees and flowers” under Smells, “crickets, the wind blowing in the grass” under Sounds, “It’s warm and windy and the feeling of grass under my feet” under Touch and “fresh air” under tastes. Afterwards, she drew a scene on the back side of the worksheet encompassing all of these senses. Click here to see example from student: My Peaceful Place.
After each student gets the chance to fill out their worksheet, it’s visualization time! Guide the students in a very simple visualization that starts off something like this: “Close your eyes and begin to imagine that you are surrounded by your peaceful place. Notice the sights around you…what do you see? Notice how seeing these things makes you feel peaceful, and how your heart and breath slow down…Notice the smells, sounds, etc.” Afterwards, gently bring the students back into the classroom, encouraging them to take a few long, slow breaths.In my experience, students have loved this exercise. I think is also gives them a sense of ownership and encourages them to feel empowered by their creation. Plus, they get to take their visualizations home which is always a plus!
(Allow for about 20 minutes for this activity)
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