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CALM Kids is the Sean O’Shea Foundation’s dynamic mindfulness program designed for use in school settings. CALM stands for Chair-based Activities for Learning Mindfulness and consists of focused breathing, stretching, and mindful centering exercises that can be led by teachers, social workers and counselors using the resources provided in our CALM Kids training workshop. Research has shown that when practiced regularly, even in small doses, a dynamic mindfulness program like CALM Kids can have a positive impact on student behavior, mental state, health and performance.
When children experience ongoing stress in their lives - whether due to the challenges of poverty or the pressures of high expectations in more affluent communities - their ability to recognize and cope with stress and other strong emotions becomes a critical skill that helps determine whether they thrive academically and socially. As breakthroughs in neurobiology confirm the benefits of meditation and dynamic mindfulness practices in dealing with stress and behavioral issues, more schools are trying to find ways to incorporate them into their classrooms.
Recognizing that most schools lack the budget for a full-time dynamic mindfulness instructor, the Sean O’Shea Foundation developed the CALM Kids program and training as a way to make dynamic mindfulness an accessible and sustainable classroom practice. In our training, participants learn simple, effective exercises that they can easily implement with their students. Over time, CALM Kids can become a useful tool to help students develop emotional intelligence and to help educators create an inclusive, supportive, and stimulating academic environment.
“Thank you for clearly presenting easy, practical, and beneficial techniques that I can immediately begin using in my classroom.” -Clark Middle School teacher.
“This workshop opened my eyes to fixing and helping the root of students’ behavior problems instead of just temporarily silencing them.” -Harriet Tubman Charter School Teacher
When children experience ongoing stress in their lives - whether due to the challenges of poverty or the pressures of high expectations in more affluent communities - their ability to recognize and cope with stress and other strong emotions becomes a critical skill that helps determine whether they thrive academically and socially. As breakthroughs in neurobiology confirm the benefits of meditation and dynamic mindfulness practices in dealing with stress and behavioral issues, more schools are trying to find ways to incorporate them into their classrooms.
Recognizing that most schools lack the budget for a full-time dynamic mindfulness instructor, the Sean O’Shea Foundation developed the CALM Kids program and training as a way to make dynamic mindfulness an accessible and sustainable classroom practice. In our training, participants learn simple, effective exercises that they can easily implement with their students. Over time, CALM Kids can become a useful tool to help students develop emotional intelligence and to help educators create an inclusive, supportive, and stimulating academic environment.
“Thank you for clearly presenting easy, practical, and beneficial techniques that I can immediately begin using in my classroom.” -Clark Middle School teacher.
“This workshop opened my eyes to fixing and helping the root of students’ behavior problems instead of just temporarily silencing them.” -Harriet Tubman Charter School Teacher