Listening to music can be many things to many people. In mindfulness it can help with focusing skills, help you calm down, get in touch with how you are feeling in the moment, and help you pay attention to help you relax.
This activity helps children use practice mindfulness listening skills while enjoying music.
The exercise is simple:
- Ask your child to listen to a song and to pay attention to the song. Play the song in full the first time and then play it again and ask them to really pay attention.
- Ask them to give you a thumbs up when they hear specific things like:
- Hearing a specific instrument.
- Hearing drums starting and then stopping
- Hear a specific word and how often it is repeated.
- Ask you children to pay attention to their feelings. How did the music make them feel?
- Are they able to stay focused for the full length of the song? If not, can they identify what drew their attention away?
