Self-control
Toddlers watch a caregiver calm down by pretending to be a tree moving in the wind.
Be Prepared: Arrange for an adult or a preschool-age child in your center to demonstrate the tree movements if you do not wish to do so.
[Invite 3–5 toddlers to help you pretend to be a tree.]
We are learning some ways to calm our bodies and our minds. Today I will show a way to calm down by pretending to be a tree.
A tree has roots that grow deep in the ground. The branches of a tree grow above the ground. The branches can move when the wind blows.
I am going to stand up tall and pretend I am a tree. I am going to pretend my arms are the branches of the tree. My fingers are some of the leaves on my pretend tree.
[Demonstrate standing tall with your arms stretched up and out to represent branches and leaves.]
A tree has roots in the ground. I am going to pretend my feet are in the ground, just like roots of a tree are in the ground. Remember, our pretend cornstalk and seaweed had roots in the ground.
I am going to pretend there is wind blowing all around me. My make-believe branches and leaves will move in the wind. But my feet will not move or lift up. I am pretending my feet are the roots of the tree in the ground.
Please watch me pretend to be a tree moving in the wind. A strong wind is moving toward me. The strong wind moves fast.
[Demonstrate making big movements with your arms and moving your fingers quickly.]
My pretend branches and leaves are moving fast in the strong wind.
Now I am going to pretend the wind is moving slower. The fast winds are gone. Now the wind is soft and slow.
[Demonstrate smaller and slower movements with your arms and fingers.]
[After a brief period, stop moving your arms and fingers. Stand in a relaxed position.]
My body feels calmer now. I focused on being a pretend tree moving in the wind. I tried hard not to look at other things or think about other things.
My pretend branches and leaves moved fast when the wind was strong. My pretend branches and leaves moved slower when the wind was soft and slow.
[If two or more toddlers respond positively, repeat the movements. Begin with larger arm movements in the imaginary strong wind and then move at a slower pace in the pretend soft and slow wind.]
We can calm our minds and bodies by pretending to be a tree moving in the wind. I focused on my arms and fingers and feet. I paid attention to moving my pretend branches and leaves in fast wind and in slow wind. I worked hard to not move my feet. I did not look at other things when I was pretending to be a tree.
Self-control
Toddlers participate in guided practice of a calming-down activity by pretending to be a tree moving in strong and then soft wind.
Be Prepared: This activity is for toddlers who are familiar with the calming-down activity demonstrated in Option 1. Make arrangements for an adult or preschool-age child in your center to demonstrate the activity if you do not wish to do so.
Invite 3–5 toddlers to practice calming down by pretending to be a tree moving in the wind. Use Option 1 strategies to provide a brief description of a tree. Remind toddlers of how we focus on our body while pretending to be a tree moving in the wind. First the wind is strong. Then the wind is soft.
Lead toddlers in pretending their body is a tree moving in strong wind. Encourage toddlers to sway their arms (pretend branches) with big movements and to move their fingers (pretend leaves) quickly. Remind toddlers that we do not move our feet; our feet are the pretend roots of the tree. Encourage toddlers to focus on what their body is doing and not on other things.
Stop moving your body and invite toddlers to also stop moving. Ask toddlers what happens next. Affirm that the wind slows down and our arms and fingers move slower. Then lead toddlers in moving their arms and fingers at a slower pace. The wind is slow and soft. The branches and leaves of our pretend tree are moving slower.
After a brief practice of moving our bodies slower, stop moving your body and ask toddlers to stop moving. Talk about the movements. Describe how focusing on our body as a pretend tree in wind can help our bodies and minds get calmer. We work hard to not pay attention to other things around us when we focus on being a pretend tree moving in the wind.
Then lead toddlers in another round of practice, this time without a pause between strong and soft wind movements. Remind toddlers that first there is strong wind, then there is soft wind. When the wind changes from strong to soft, quietly say “soft” or “strong.” Conclude the activity by inviting toddlers to talk about what it’s like to pretend to be a tree moving in the wind. Ask whether it was hard to change how we moved our arms and fingers in fast wind and then in slow wind.
Self-control
Toddlers practice a calming-down activity by pretending to be a tree moving in strong and then soft wind, with minimal caregiver guidance.
Be Prepared: This activity is for toddlers who are familiar with the calming-down activity focused on a pretend tree through participation in Options 1 and 2.
Invite toddlers to practice calming their bodies and minds by pretending to be a tree with branches and leaves (arms and fingers) that move in strong wind and then in soft wind. Remind toddlers to keep feet on the floor and to focus on moving their bodies. Offer verbal support. Provide a demonstration, if needed. It is not necessary for toddlers to move from strong to soft wind at the same time. Offer two rounds, with a pause between each practice (that includes both strong and soft wind) to briefly talk about the experience, including how we focus on the pretend wind and moving our arms and fingers in strong and soft wind.
This is the third of a set of similar mindfulness activities in the ELM Curriculum for older toddlers (24–36 months). Prior activities involved pretending to be a cornstalk moving in wind (Block 17) and seaweed moving in water (Block 20). The two earlier activities include movement of torso, especially the upper torso. The current activity emphasizes movement of arms and fingers (branches and leaves), not torso (the pretend tree’s trunk). The arm and finger movements are valuable to promote, but it is fine if toddlers move their whole upper body while pretending to be a tree. More important is the experience of trying to focus on faster and slower physical movements in pretend wind of different strength while not moving feet.
This set of activities is popular among toddlers. Some may find it challenging to keep their feet in place and to transition from faster to slower body movements. The questions of toddlers in Option 1 include attention to these aspects of the activity. In Options 2 and 3, offer verbal support as needed in an especially quiet, calm voice. Positively accept differences in how toddlers approach the activity.
It is not necessary in Option 3 for toddlers to engage in a uniform transition from strong to softer wind, as noted in the activity description. Pursuing independent practice as a group activity may prompt toddlers to pay more attention to what their peers are doing than to their own image of wind and how their body moves in strong and then softer wind.
Some toddlers may look at other interesting things going on in the room during part, or a good portion, of the activity. Focusing on a specific set of movements and avoiding distractions are understandable challenges at any age, especially the early years. Repeated practice and gentle guidance are appropriate ways to help toddlers strengthen their ability to be more engaged in an activity.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: several books with illustrations and photos of trees, several small tape squares on the floor large enough for two toddler feet to fit inside
Display the tree books on a low table. Talk with toddlers about how roots keep trees in the ground, and how other parts of the tree grow out of the ground. Also, invite toddlers to stand in a taped square and practice keeping their feet inside the square while pretending to be a tree blowing in the wind. Generously acknowledge it is challenging to not move our feet when our arms and fingers are moving. Accept a range of toddler responses to the task.
Materials Needed: live tree outdoors
Preschool-age and older children will enjoy participating in these activity options. Mindful movement activities can benefit children of all ages. If possible, visit or look at a live tree outdoors. Talk with children about the roots under the ground and the strong trunk growing up high. Point out branches and leaves. There may be wind that moves the branches or leaves during the tree observation. If you are able to visit a tree outdoors, invite children to participate in Option 2 or 3 as a part of the outing.
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