Wellbeing Assembly Tuesday 27th September

We begin our wellbeing assembly with some calm sounds – sounds of the sea on a beach and sounds of nature. Ms Burgess asked the children how the music made them feel. “I feel calm, soothed and relaxed”.

“What does ‘wellbeing’ mean to you?” enquired Ms Burgess to the assembly. “It means to be peaceful, have space to do what you want to do”, “being calm and relaxed”, “to be yourself and get along with others”, “a time when you can relax, listen to some music, watch tele”, “taking time out”, “not being over stressed or over working yourself”, “sleep”, “different ways to keep yourself well”.

Really impressed with the answers, Ms Burgess tried to expand the minds of the children by asking “How else can we keep ourselves well?” The children have been working on healthy eating as it is Harvest collection time. Some older children answered that “keeping ourselves well also means that we need to exercise”, “healthy food”, “always doing our best”.

“Excellent, that is right! Wellbeing isn’t just about being relaxed, although that is a main part of it. It also means that we eat well, we don’t eat too much that is bad for us. It means that we challenge our minds by learning, but allow them time to be calm and creative rather than work. It is about exercising our bodies and sweating, raising our heartbeats and being active! Wellbeing is about the WHOLE person and that is what we are trying to get you to think about!”

Ms Burgess brought our attentions back to the music and sensations of calmness and peacefulness. We then listened to a song called ‘Living in the Moment’ – we had to listen to the lyrics and say afterwards what we heard. This is a great listening exercise to get children to pay attention and is also interesting to find out what they hear. “I heard him sing about peace in his heart”, “being positive”, “living in the moment“. Yes, living in the moment. What does that mean? Discuss with a partner.

• Thinking about where we are
• Thinking about what’s happening
• Living in the present
• What’s happening right now
• Be grateful for what you have

We have such busy lives, we often forget what’s happening right now. To ‘live in the moment’ is to make the most of what is happening around us at that point. We forget what’s happening now. Make the most of what’s is happening around us – paying attention, listening, looking with our full attention. How can we practise living in the moment, today? 

Ms Burgess ended with a prayer to say thank you for the time we have to relax and absorb all that we do. To find and have balance in our lives and to allow ourselves this space. Thank you to the present moment and all that it teaches us.

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