Lessons

This set of slides created by meditation instructor Jakob Leschly gives an overview of why we practice meditation for a teen audience. You can download the slides and incorporate into a larger conversation about why we meditate and the basic practice.

Students generate their own innate love and compassion and imagine it manifesting as an energy ball that they can visualize shaping it into a Green Tara figure. Through this they are introduced to the possibility that Tara is always close by because she is none other than their own loving-kindness energy.

An art project with worksheets for students to design their own bodhisattvas

This lunch ritual is loosely based on ōryōki, a Zen monastic eating meditation that places an emphasis on service, generosity, and appreciation. It was developed by Noa Jones and Catherine Fordham for the Middle Way School of the Hudson Valley. Shared mealtime is an opportunity to foster a healthy relationship to food, enjoy each other’s company, and create a harmonious environment at the table. Creating a consistent mealtime practice can help children feel more focussed and be more present with their food.

Students sew drawstring bags using a simple backstitch in preparation for the mala they will string in a future class. This lesson was created by Noa Jones at the Middle Way School for third grade students preparing for Rites of Passage. 

Students are introduced to the concept of harmonious speech from the Buddhist tradition and explore how it arises in their own lives. The lesson includes group work, pair sharing, charting, and discussion.

This lesson plan includes everything you need to help children make an origami representation of the Buddha sitting on a lotus. Students will learn about and reflect on their significance and set intentions to make them as offerings.

This document helps parents and educators introduce children to a selection of Dharma Heroes—people who followed in the footsteps of the Buddha—though a series of assemblies or weekly gatherings. Through oral storytelling and inquiry, children explore what is meaningful and relevant about these life stories. Each assembly follows an easily modified pattern with several other elements, including songs, tea, mudras, mindfulness, and more.

Hosting tea parties is a fun way to engage children in the practice of serving and being served. This role-playing activity does require quite a bit of preparation and a minimum of 2 teachers/guides.