Teaching at the Speed of Trust
Session Fast Facts
Duration: 2 hours
Participants: 8 and 11 yr old siblings
Activities:
Building Connection- Parts of the Brain and memory exercises
Mindfulness- Mind Body GO! Game
Breathing Awareness- Hoberman Ball Activity
Language/Science enrichment- Vocabulary words and studied the hummingbird
I recently had my first session with children who didn't already know me and thought it worth sharing as it taught me some great lessons.
As I approached this session, I was fairly confident the children would come to enjoy the ideas and activities I had prepared, but I also realized I needed to pause and make space for trust to grow.
So when the little boy saw that I had hummingbirds on my shirt, he opened the conversation with how much he loves them and would I like to hear what he knows. Of course I said "Yes!" I listened and learned from him and that is the moment when a mutual trust began to form. I didn't plan to talk about a tiny, fascinating feathered creature, but that's what the child brought to the conversation, and it was amazing. From that moment on, this WanderPonder unfolded naturally, organically and attuned to the children in front of me.
My primary agenda for each session is to show up and be present. Yes, I have activities, themes, & topics "at the ready," but I wait to see what the kids bring to the moment and explore from there. Sometimes we never get to 'my' plans and those are the best times!
When the 11 year old asks if we can play a get-to-know-you game or if she can lead a breathing exercise her mom does with her the answer is yes, Yes, YES! What they do not know is that I am weaving in beautiful learning during the activities they are leading! By the end of the 2 hour session these are a few of the skills we were able to work on because we built on a foundation of trust:
Personal Agency
Self-moderation
Conversation techniques
Communication style differences- Amygdala triggers
Growth Mindset
Healthy risk-taking
Attention/Awareness recognition
Big body movement
Senses connection
Mind-body connection
Function of the Prefrontal Cortex
Strategies on how to think/remember
Breathing/self soothing techniques
The "gift" of getting an answer wrong
Vocabulary building
Grammar/spelling rules
Making predictions
Mental math/ reasonable approximations