I was a primary school teacher for over ten years before I made the move into full time writing. Now, as well as writing books, I spend a lot of my time as a ‘visiting author’ in primary schools teaching creative writing to children or delivering staff training to teachers about the teaching of writing. I’ve been in this role for over fifteen years. In my experience, primary school teachers are overflowing with enthusiasm but constrained by time. The entire 100 Ideas series is aimed at saving teachers’ time by suggesting quick, easy and inspirational activities that can be used instantly in any classroom. The Daily Reflections book is part of this 100 Ideas series. It is a practical guide for pupils to practise mindfulness both at home and school. At the heart of the book is kindness. Kindness towards others but also kindness towards oneself.
The idea for the Daily Reflections book came about as I am often asked by teachers to recommend texts to be shared in whole school assemblies that don’t follow a religious theme. I usually recommend collections of wisdom stories such as Hugh Lupton’s ‘Tales of Wisdom and Wonder’, but there isn’t a great deal of books that fit into this brief so I decided to write one. Then, with the help of an awesome editor at Bloomsbury, the book evolved to be adaptable to any setting rather than exclusively for assemblies. Each reflection can be read in an assembly setting for a whole school experience, but it can also be used with a class, a small group or individually.
The book was also born from seeing just how many children suffer from problems such as social anxiety, separation anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, school-based anxiety and more. I work with children who have mental health problems like these on a daily basis but since the lockdowns caused by COVID-19 mental health problems seem to have increased dramatically. Indeed, in a survey carried out by ‘Young Minds’ (a charity that supports children with mental health issues) early in 2021, stated that 67% of respondents aged between 13 and 25 believed that the pandemic will have a long-term negative effect on their mental health.
It is my belief that we urgently need more emphasis put onto mental health in primary education in order to give children the tools they need to battle anxiety in later life. By practising the recommendations in the Daily Reflections book children can be encouraged to look at life more positively and to live in the here and now. The book is written to help children to examine their own feelings and give them the tools to know how to respond to each of these emotions.
Each reflection is to be read aloud by the teacher to the pupils then there are prompts and activities that follow. Each reflection also has either teaching tips or ideas to take the reflection further by suggesting books, websites and resources that will expand upon the theme. The book is organised into four parts of ‘Self Awareness’, ‘Doing Good’, ‘Choice’ and ‘Life Lessons’. In the ‘Self Awareness’ section, there are reflections on gratitude, perseverance, present moment awareness and more. The ‘Doing Good’ reflections contain ideas about volunteering, positive routines, problem solving and more. In the ‘Choice’ section, suggestions are made about making positive choices that effect children’s own lives and the lives of others. Finally, the ‘Life Lesson’s’ section contains breathing exercises, advice on overcoming adversity, meditation practises and more.
The overall theme of the book is about being calm and a pursuit of happiness. When children are calm and happy, they learn best. So, the book is also a tool for creating the best possible environment to teach a lesson. The reflections can be read after lunchtime to move on from playtime strife or can be read at the end of the day to promote mental wellbeing at home time. You can read one a week or several in a school day. They don’t have to be read in any particular order so you can dip in and out of the book as you like. Perhaps the title of a reflection such as ‘The War Within’, ‘Don’t Dive In’ or ‘7 Steps Forward’ might intrigue you and you go straight to those reflections. It might be worth going back over certain reflections that you think could be worthwhile with some children to reinforce a particular message. Basically, the book is written to fit into the versatility of primary school life. Each teacher and adapt the book to best suit their school, their class or themselves. So, let’s put contemplation into education and live in the now with some daily reflection in school.
