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22Sep

Top 3 Ways to Bring Mindfulness into Your Speech (Class) Room

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: mindfulness in speech therapy yoga for kids
Comments Off on Top 3 Ways to Bring Mindfulness into Your Speech (Class) Room

Want to know what really irks me?

When I see things like “mindfulness” being taken out of schools, called “indoctrination”, and Mindfulness can kind of be over-thought. A lot of the time, we think it is this huge, serious thing that either you are striving for, or that you are running fmr as fast as you can. And when you hear that it is something you can use with kids and students, it can seem even stranger and harder to grasp. 

It can be seen as this religious or spiritual practice, when it is really a way to help your brain and body speak to each other a little better, and a way to help you move through your day and your experiences with more ease. 

And a way for your students and clients to do the same. 

bring mindfulness to your speech (class) room

Mindfulness is defined in a lot of ways, as a lot of things, and is a big buzzword in the last few years. I like to think of it as this – pausing in the present moment with more awareness and acceptance, to help you move forward.

For adults, this might mean feeling less stress and overwhelm, and more connected to your day, work and life. 

And for kids and students, it can mean this, too, but even more it usually means a way to help be more steady and ready for meeting each part of the day. It gives them a tool for working through the stress of their day, being able to regulate, and to help their bodies and brains be ready to learn, grow, and thrive. 

Exactly what we as school SLPs (and teachers) are all about. 

And with that thought, mindfulness is a perfect match for binging into our school day and speech sessions. 

So how do you do it?

It’s not like a yoga class or a 30 minute meditation are exactly feasible, or wanted, in the curriculum of the school day. And it can be really difficult to share ancient lessons and teachings, and they probably aren’t appropriate anyway. 

Instead, you can take the principles and ideas of mindfulness and use them in the ways that work for YOUR speech room or classroom, as little or as much as needed. It’s kind of the great high about mindfulness – a little goes a long way.

If you are looking to bring more mindfulness into your speech session and classroom, there are a few ways you can go about it.

Top 3 Ways to Bring Mindfulness into Your Speech (Class) Room:

Infuse it: Using mindfulness does not have to be a super direct or explicit moment of your day It can be infused into it, so that your entire day has the vibe, or feeling, or mindfulness. IN this way, it is incorporated into the foundation of your speech (class) room, and in all the things you do. You might have moments infused in your classroom whether you pause to breathe and get centered, have fidgets for them to use if needed, or check-in at the start/end of each session. With this, there are mindful practices and tools that can be used throughout the day and session, not necessarily as the session itself. (For me, this is the way I use it most. Play a straight up game of hungry, hungry hippos, using flashcards to drill articulation skills, and then have these mindfulness components sprinkled throughout).  

Make it your session: You could make it the main part of your session. Not using the teachings as a lesson, but using them for the lessons. Have a yoga game or poses that you use for your speech target words and then say them as you play them. You can plan your activity using some yoga poses or a game that incorporates mindfulness, and make it the session. Again, the teaching is not mindfulness or yoga – it’s speech and school, not yoga class – but the lesson activity is using them.

Use it as needed: Take it or leave it when you need it or don’t. There might be days when you don’t need to use it, and there might be days when you use a LOT of mindfulness tools for your session. These could look like having brain breaks (super handy during looooong evals) , breathing breaks (can help recenter and refocus a group that is getting rowdy), or maybe a calm corner (a safe space for your students to go to when they are feeling overwhelmed and need to step away to pause, breathe, or grab a fidget). 

Mindfulness can be a simple tool that gives you a foundation, that you can use as needed, or that can become part or all of your activity for the session. Find the way that works best for your needs and your students, and give it a try. 

Which one are you going to try? Share in the comments.

Want to bring some mindfulness to your classroom? If you are looking for some fun and out of the box ways to connect, that can help you to feel truly authentic and supportive of your students, make sure to sign up for the waitlist for my newest course “Mindfulness in Your (Speech) Room”. It is a course for SLPs and educators that will share who you can bring mindfulness and yoga into your classroom, as little or as much as you’d like, and how it can change everything – for the better. You can sign up for the waitlist here (and snag an exclusive discount when doors open later in September).

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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7Sep

5 Types of Mindfulness Activities to Use in Your Speech (Class) Room

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: mindfulness in speech therapy yoga for kids
Comments Off on 5 Types of Mindfulness Activities to Use in Your Speech (Class) Room

mindfulness activities to use in your speech room

Mindfulness is not something I ever learned about or even thought of using when I started out as an SLP in 2008. Yoga and mindfulness were things I dabbled in but they were hard to come by in my community and absolutely not talked about them where I worked, let alone used in a classroom or speech room. But things have changed, and as these have become more mainstream and the benefits of them are more well-known, they are used more often.

Last year, I started branching out and teaching some yoga for kids classes, and finding ways to use mindfulness in my speech room, and sharing strategies with others. It is what my new course “Mindfulness in your Speech Room”, launching later this September, is all about.


If you have ever thought about using these in your class, needed mindfulness activities to use in your speech room, or wondered how to incorporate them into a speech session, it is probably a lot easier (and more fun!) than you ever imagined.

Here are 5 Types of Mindfulness Activities to Use in Your Speech Room:

Games: If you like to play games in your therapy or class, to help foster receptive language skills such as following directions, with social.pragmatic groups, to build up some vocabulary, or as a simple reward/positive moment, there are several ways to bring in yoga and mindfulness. One way is to play a game like “Yogi/Simon says”, using yoga poses. Call out a pose and demo it, and see if they follow when “yogi/Simon” says. You could also try using some yoga dice and take turns creating a mini sequence. Another fun game is to have a hoberman sphere have students take a few breaths with it or name a pose then throw it to another student to do the same. It builds community, works the brain, creates play, and can be something new for the students.

Breathing Breaks: If you need something to help students find their focus or to regain self-control or calm, breathing breaks can be helpful. You can use tactile cues, like a hand on their chest/belly, toy on their belly, a hoberman sphere, or color-changing apps. It can be a pause that helps students to regroup, much like it does for adults.

Yoga Poses/Names: If you are working on articulation or language skills, using yoga pose names can be a fun way to practice sounds and build sentences. Write down a few on a board to choose from, grab some yoga cards, or give the students a new pose to try doing and name.

Check-In: Having a mindful moment when you first step into the class can be a great way to check-in with students and help them get settled for the session. It could be breathing, choosing the “color” they feel emotionally, or shaking it out on a wiggly day.

Books: If you love to incorporate books into your speech therapy sessions, there are a TON of yoga and mindfulness books that you could use, and then create activities, movement, vocabulary, articulation, etc from. You can search on google, head to the library, or reach out to me for some suggestions. Personally, I like the “I am” series by Susan Verde.

There are so many ways that you can infuse yoga speech sessions with mindfulness, either a little bit here and there or with the activity itself. They can help students to find a new way of learning, a new way of having fun, or to get settled and prepared for the session, shifting their brain for speech time.

Which one do you think you are going to try? Share in the comments and let me know! Or DM me on IG at jessiandricks.

Want to bring some mindfulness to your classroom? If you are looking for some fun and out of the box ways to connect, that can help you to feel truly authentic and supportive of your students, make sure to sign up for the waitlist for my newest course “Mindfulness in Your (Speech) Room”. It is a course for SLPs and educators that will share who you can bring mindfulness and yoga into your classroom, as little or as much as you’d like, and how it can change everything – for the better. You can sign up for the waitlist here (and snag an exclusive discount when doors open later in September).

With Love and Light,
Jessi

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