Back to Mind Explorers

The Body Explorer's Adventure

This series of games helps children develop a more expansive and flexible understanding of their own body and sense of self. By imagining bigger bodies and exploring their emotions from a place of curiosity and acceptance, children can begin to cultivate a more spacious and resilient relationship with their physical and emotional experiences.

The exercises encourage children to look beyond their habitual ways of relating to their bodies and emotions and to explore new perspectives and possibilities. By learning to give attention to their emotions without judgment or resistance, children can develop greater emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills.

Additionally, by considering questions about the nature of the self and its relationship to the body, children can begin to develop a more nuanced and expansive sense of identity, one that is not limited by physical or conceptual boundaries.

Introduction script for the child:

				
					Hey there, young adventurer! 

Today, we're going on an exciting journey called "The Body Explorer's Adventure." 

We'll be playing some fun games that will help us discover new ways of thinking about our bodies and how we experience them. 

We'll use our imagination to create bigger bodies, explore our emotions, and even watch ourselves from different perspectives. 

Are you ready to embark on this thrilling exploration of your own body?

Instructions for the teacher:

Guide the child through each of the following games, encouraging them to approach the experiences with curiosity and playfulness.

Game 1: Big Body

  1. Ask the child to sit or lie down and notice their entire body, from head to toe, including all physical sensations.
  2. Invite them to imagine a bigger body surrounding and encompassing their regular body.
  3. Encourage them to be that bigger body and look at their regular body from this new perspective.
  4. Have them get up and walk around, noticing their regular body from the perspective of their Big Body.
  5. When they return to sitting or lying down, ask them to let their Big Body expand to include everything they see, hear, and feel, as if it’s all happening inside their Big Body.

Game 2: Russian Doll

  1. Ask the child to notice their body and imagine a slightly bigger body noticing and containing the smaller body.
  2. Encourage them to continue this process, imagining progressively bigger bodies noticing and containing the previous body.
  3. Invite them to be each bigger body as they imagine it, expanding their sense of self with each iteration.

Game 3: Where in the Body?

  1. When the child experiences an emotion, especially one they don’t like, encourage them to look inside and locate where in their body the emotion is taking place.
  2. Ask them to describe what the emotion feels like and what it might look like.
  3. Encourage them to give attention to the emotion without trying to change or analyze it, simply allowing it to be as it is and deliver its message.

Game 4: Who Has a Body?

  1. Ask the child to think the thought, “I have a body,” and then invite them to consider the question, “Who is this ‘I’ that has a body?”
  2. Encourage them to sit with this question without necessarily trying to find a definitive answer.

Game 5: Watch Yourself

  1. Invite the child to use their imagination to stand in front of themselves and watch themselves.
  2. Then, ask them to imagine hovering above themselves and watching themselves from this new perspective.

Follow-up questions for discussion:

  1. What was it like to explore your body in these different ways? Did you discover anything new or surprising about your body or your sense of self?
  2. How did it feel to imagine bigger bodies surrounding and containing your regular body?
  3. What did you notice when you gave attention to your emotions without trying to change them?
  4. What thoughts or insights arose when you considered the question, “Who is this ‘I’ that has a body?”

Follow-up resource:

To further explore the concept of body awareness and the relationship between the body, emotions, and sense of self, consider introducing your child to the book “The Lemonade Hurricane: A Story of Mindfulness and Meditation” by Licia Morelli.

This engaging story follows the journey of a young boy named Henry, whose wild energy and impulsive behavior often leave him feeling overwhelmed and out of control. With the help of his calm and mindful grandfather, Henry learns to use simple mindfulness and meditation techniques to connect with his body, emotions, and breath, and to find a sense of inner peace and stillness amid the chaos of his daily life.

Resource Read Aloud

1. Who is the “Lemonade Hurricane” in the story?
a) Emma
b) Henry
c) Mom
d) Dad

2. What does Emma teach Henry to do?
a) Make lemonade
b) Run faster
c) Meditate
d) Build a fort

3. Why is Henry called a “Lemonade Hurricane”?
a) He loves lemonade
b) He’s always moving and noisy
c) He’s afraid of storms
d) He works at a lemonade stand

4. What does Emma tell Henry to focus on when he’s sitting still?
a) His toys
b) His breath
c) The TV
d) His homework

5. What animal does Emma pretend to be to show Henry how to sit still?
a) A lion
b) An elephant
c) A turtle
d) A frog

6. What happens when Henry starts to practice being still?
a) He gets more energetic
b) He becomes calmer
c) He falls asleep
d) He runs away

7. Where does Emma suggest Henry can practice being still?
a) Only in his room
b) Only at school
c) Anywhere
d) Only when he’s in trouble

8. What does Emma teach Henry about thoughts during meditation?
a) To hold onto them tightly
b) To let them go like clouds
c) To ignore them completely
d) To write them all down

9. How does Henry feel after learning to be still?
a) Angry
b) Scared
c) More peaceful
d) Confused

10. What is the main message of the book?
a) Being noisy is always bad
b) Meditation is only for adults
c) Mindfulness can help calm busy minds
d) Kids should never sit still

1. b) Henry
2. c) Meditate
3. b) He’s always moving and noisy
4. b) His breath
5. c) A turtle
6. b) He becomes calmer
7. c) Anywhere
8. b) To let them go like clouds
9. c) More peaceful
10. c) Mindfulness can help calm busy minds

Song: Imagine Me, Imagine You

Verse 1:
Close your eyes and take a breath
Feel your body from toes to chest
Now picture something really cool
A bigger you, it’s nature’s rule

Pre-Chorus:
Who are we beyond our skin?
Let’s play and see what lies within

Chorus:
Imagine me, imagine you
Bigger than we ever knew
Emotions dancing, bodies growing
On this journey, we keep going

Verse 2:
Like Russian dolls, we grow and grow
Each layer has more to show
Where do feelings live inside?
Let’s watch and see, no need to hide

(Pre-Chorus)
(Chorus)

Bridge:
Who has a body? Who am I?
Questions floating in the sky
Watch yourself from up above
Exploring with curiosity and love

(Chorus)

Outro:
Open your eyes, what do you see?
A world of possibility
In our bodies, big and small
We find the magic in it all

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