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How can Children Catch the Flying Thoughts?: Help Easily Distracted Fourth Graders Through Mindfulness in Philosophy for Children SessionsChildren are born inquisitive, paying their attention to every detail they notice and they can be both restless and easily tired at the same time. Like adults, children are often too busy (Snel, 2013, p. 4), forgetting to take a breath and inclined to do so many things in such a brief time. Mindfulness as a type of meditation helps children look inwards via self-awareness, develop clarity in their thoughts, acceptance, adaptability, and flexibility toward different ideas without reacting immediately, thus creating state of mind where the mind and body can be focused. In this paper, I discuss how mindfulness can help easily distracted children in philosophy for children sessions. Lipman’s model “Community of Inquiry” offers the children a safe place to be aware of themselves and their surroundings. Haynes (2002) points out how meditation can relax the mind and body which could support the facilitation of philosophical thinking process. In her book named ‘Children as Philosophers’ she states:…one child said that to really listen, you may have to be still inside your body as well as outside your body. This comment led to a discussion of what it might mean to be still inside as well as still outside. (p.69). I also want to suggest some picture books such as Silence, What Does It Mean to be Present?, The Other Way to Listen, Sitting Still Like a Frog etc. could contribute to establishing guidelines in the community of inquiry.ReferencesSnel, E. (2013). Sitting still like a frog. On Sitting still like a frog: Mindfulness exercises for kids (and their parents) [CD]. Boston, MA: Shambhala.Haynes, J. (2002).?Children as Philosophers: Learning through enquiry and dialogue in the primary classroom. Inglaterra: Routledge Falmer.Nilüfer Bircan Kaya is research assistant at Recep Tayyip Erdo?an University, Department of Elementary Education, ?ayeli, Rize, Turkey. She worked as a research assistant in Marmara University, Istanbul (2009-2018) and currently studying as a PhD student at Marmara University in Department of Elementary Education. She was visiting scholar in the University of Washington in 2014-2015. Her interests are philosophy for children, elementary teacher education, self-awareness, identity, mindfulness, meditation, yoga. ................
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