Puppy Mind

What You Need:

• Puppy Mind Artwork worksheet
• Puppy Mind book by Andrew Jordan Nance (or "Puppy Mind" video on YouTube)
• Paper
• Paints

What You Do:

1. Ask your child if they have ever seen someone training a puppy. What does the puppy get into? How do they get distracted? (Potential answers: The puppy gets distracted by smells, sounds, people, etc.)
2. Explain to your child that our minds can be like a puppy, easily distracted by smells, sounds, the past, the future, or practically anything.
3. Tell your child that they will watch the video "Puppy Mind," featuring the book written by Andrew Jordan Nance. Or, read the actual book aloud to your child.
4. Ask them to notice what happens to the puppy mind and how the young boy trains his puppy mind.
5. Play the video or read the book.
6. Afterwards, ask the following questions:
   • "What happens to the puppy mind?" (Answer: The puppy mind wanders and goes to the past and future.)
   • "What happens to the puppy mind when the boy yells and becomes angry with him?" (Answer: The puppy mind runs away and becomes scared when the boy yells and becomes angry.)
   • "How does the young boy train his puppy mind?" (Answer: He trains his puppy mind by taking three, slow, deep breaths.)
   • "When does the puppy mind respond best?" (Answer: The puppy mind responds best when we are kind to it.)
7. Show your child the Puppy Mind Artwork worksheet, and read through the instructions.
8. Explain to your child that they will be drawing and painting a picture of something that reminds them to be kind to themselves and their mind. Some suggestions you could give your child for their artwork include painting a puppy sitting, a person hugging a puppy, a happy puppy, etc.
9. Work with your child to help them create their artwork.
10. Place the drawing somewhere in the home to serve as a reminder of training our puppy mind with kindness.