Belly Buddies
A Belly Buddy is a commonly used mindful meditation aid for children. Typically the Belly Buddy is a plush toy placed on the belly and used by the child as an anchor to help focus the attention on the action of breathing in the belly. Unlike other Belly Buddy exercises this program expands on the traditional use of the Belly Buddy and ties the animal themed Belly Buddy to a brain science lesson. The benefits of the Belly Buddy to the Mindful Parents & Kids program are:
An engaging crafting activity that builds program anticipation & offers an opportunity for creative expression
Enhances brain science messaging
Visual prompt for Bedtime & Parent Program
Attentional anchor used during meditation
A plush toy is the most common format for the Belly Buddy; however, the Mindful Parents & Kids program facilitators have also made Belly Buddies with students out of beach stones and pom-poms. This program recommends the use of a toilet paper roll animal craft for the bedtime program because of the accessibility and functionality of this item. For the classroom version of the program it is recommended that teachers have their students draw the animals or colour a colouring sheet of the animal. Helpful links have been provided.
The Classroom audio recordings coach the students to place the Belly Buddy craft (sketch or colouring sheet) in front of them on their desk. When the students participate at home in the Bedtime program, the Belly Buddy is used in the traditional way and participants are encouraged to place the crafted toilet paper roll animal Belly Buddy on the belly.