Abstract:

The goal of this report is to determine the possible benefits of using Mindfulness techniques in an early learning school applying some dynamics and exercises in a 3 years old children classroom.

According to Collard (2014), Mindfulness is being aware of or bringing attention to this moment in time, deliberately and without judging the experience. According to this author, the application of mindfulness is especially relevant in schools among some other range of situations, helping the students to focus the attention in the learning process.

We will evaluate if these students from pre-kindergarten can use effectively these Mindfulness techniques to learn how to pause their challenging thoughts for a moment and to get a sense of what they need at this moment in time, so they can increase the level of attention of the activities in the classroom improving their learning experience.

We are going to test this study in a couple of pre-kindergarten centers, called Educando Schools, located in Madrid. We will apply these exercises and techniques in one of the classes during a period of time and we may be able to compare the results with another classroom in which we didn’t apply any Mindfulness technique.

We will introduce several tests to the children before and after the time of the research in both groups and we will study and compare the possible differences between the two of them to determine whether the application of Mindfulness techniques have provided any positive influence on the studied group.

Some Mindfulness techniques training will be introduced to the teacher and educators responsible for the group in which we are introducing these techniques so they understand the method and the new approach.

The idea is to evaluate if by introducing these techniques to the study group children, we provide a tool for the kids to pay better attention, interact more generosity with their peers, improving the positive responses to the exercises presented by their teacher and if they are more aware of themselves and the others them.

We will introduce several exercises like start paying attention to the class the temperature, the lights around them, the colors, the sounds in the classroom and from there moving that attention into their bodies, working on the awareness of different sensations from it. We’ll use different techniques such as storytelling to introduce them in this dynamics.

We will introduce some basic yoga postures such as sun salutation, etc. introducing these movements as a game so they have the feeling they are playing and having fun while we do focus on body awareness with the different asanas or yoga postures by imitating some animals gestures, like cat pose, downward facing dog, mountain pose, etc.

The method we are going to apply will be a scientific, descriptive, experimental and statistical method. The study design will be quasi-experimental with two study groups as we just mentioned. The techniques we are going to use to determine the results are going to be observation, interview with teachers and families and practical tests.

The results observed from this study will determine if the application of Mindfulness techniques in a pre-Kindergarten school has a positive influence on the learning process development and new skills acquisition in 3 years old children.