In all our years with Sunshine at home, we've tried and tested so many different ways to help her calm and be mindful of her words, actions, and surroundings, before she escalates to unsafe and dangerous behaviors.
If we can bring her back to the present moment, there is a chance that she won't go too far. One psychiatrist described her unsafe state as a behavioral seizure.
Once she goes too far, there is no way to stop her. We just have to brace ourselves for whatever happens, with safety as the main priority, until she's done.
Out of all the ways we've tried and tested, the Four Prompts to Encourage Mindfulness have worked best. We now have visuals to go with them!
After so much success at home, the four prompts of mindfulness were adopted at Sunshine's day program, where they saw the same success.
When Sunshine was at her first RTC, staff used the prompts as well to help prevent escalations when possible.
I've discussed the Four Prompts to Encourage Mindfulness in a previous post. For all the details about how we use it, be sure to visit the post below.
Four Prompts to Encourage Mindfulness in Children
There is one thing is missing from the post above. There are no visuals for kids who need that extra support.
Today I'm gifting these visuals to you.
They are created in multiple forms to be adapted for every situation. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
4 Prompts to Encourage Mindfulness Visuals
The visuals have been created with bright colors and very animated faces that are pleasing to children. Facial expressions are nonthreatening to promote peace and calm when used.
The goal is to introduce the Four Prompts to Encourage Mindfulness when the child is calm, so she can practice them with success.
Then, in those moments when you need to use them, you can pull them out and the child is already familiar with them.
Eventually your goal will be for the child to initiate the Four Prompts to Encourage Mindfulness on her own.
We will have a set of the smallest size cards hanging on our refrigerator so Sunshine can grab them when she needs them. Just the act of turning pages in a book is very soothing to her and will help in the process.
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