Glenbard Parent Series: 2020-03-15

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Dr. Chris Willard speaks to GPS on Mindfulness Practices to Foster Focused, Relaxed and Happy Children & Growing Up Mindful, Capable and Resilient

All parents can use assistance in finding balance and increasing happiness and calm. And introducing mindfulness into the lives of our children and teenagers is perhaps the greatest gift we can offer. Mindfulness builds emotional intelligence, boosts happiness, increases curiosity and engagement, reduces anxiety and depression, soothes the pain of trauma, and helps kids (and adults) focus, learn, and make better choices. If that weren’t enough, research in neuroscience now shows that mindfulness significantly enhances what psychologists call “flourishing”—the opposite of depression and avoidance.

Dr Willard presented two programs on Mindfulness: Mindfulness Practices to Foster, Relaxed and Happy Children (ages 3-8)and Growing Up Mindful, Capable and Resilient (pre-teens and teens).

Dr Willard is an international educational consultant and author or over 10 books on mindfulness. He teaches at Harvard Medical School and is the president of the Mindfulness in Education Network. He has presented at several TedX conferences, and he is frequently profiled in the national media.

Dr. Willard with Dr. Jones

On Wednesday, March 11, the Glenbard Parent Series hosted clinical psychologist and author Dr Christopher Willard in a program titled: Growing Up Mindful, Capable and Resilient. Glenbard South psychologist Dr Caicina Jones attended the program at noon and shared the following takeaway:

Dr Willard defines mindfulness as paying attention to the here and now with kindness and curiosity. Adults need to model healthy ways to respond to stress as a protective factor to help teens build the resilience skills that will be useful for a lifetime.

Simple breathing techniques and other mindfulness practices can be an empowering way for young people to regulate themselves and regain composure in a variety of situations. Create a space where your children can calm down, and check in rather than check and understand "Don't believe everything you think”.

Dr. Willard with Rachel Solomon

Churchill Elementary School Principal Rachel Solomon attended a presentation at 9:30 a.m. titled Mindfulness Practices to Foster, Focused, Relaxed and Happy Children and shared the following takeaway:

Dr.Willard shared information about the positive impact of mindful breathing and how it can calm the body and clear the mind. He stressed the importance of becoming more aware of our body and asked the question -are we “mind full or mindful.” There is power in our day- to -day interactions among humans starting at a young age.

We don’t realize the positive impact that our voices, attention and body language play on infants through each stage of development. We can easily incorporate simple strategies into what we already do every day, at home with our families as well as in our work with teachers and students.