A Mindful Pizza Party

We start with a short and simple affirmation: "I like me." Next we do a breathing exercise that imagines smelling pizza and blowing to cool off a hot slice of pizza. Then we walking through the steps of making pizza, introducing mindfulness exercises to coincide with making pizza dough, stretching the dough, picking out toppings, melting in the oven, and stretching like gooey cheese. The episode ends by repeating affirmations together.

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Noah and this is Like You,

A mindfulness podcast for kids.

I'm so glad you're here.

Today we're going to have a mindful pizza party.

So we'll talk about our favorite toppings and we'll pretend to be pizza dough rising and cheese melting.

So listeners of all ages,

Find a place to listen where you feel comfortable and safe.

As I ask questions and invite you to say affirmations,

You're welcome to speak out loud or as always you can just think your responses quietly in your mind.

Let's kick the show off with a short affirmation.

On the count of three,

We'll all say,

I like me.

One,

Two,

Three.

I like me.

I like you too.

Your smile brings warmth.

Your laugh brings joy and your kindness inspires friendship.

You make this podcast special just by being here.

Do you like pizza?

I'm sure there are some people out there who don't,

But in my experience,

Almost everyone enjoys a nice slice of pizza.

So let's start with a breathing exercise where we imagine our favorite pizza.

Close your eyes and imagine that sitting in front of you,

There is a plate with a slice of your favorite pizza.

The pizza is fresh out of the oven and it smells delicious.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and imagine the smell of pizza filling up your lungs.

Then let out a satisfied sigh.

As the wonderful smell fills your nostrils,

It's almost like the pizza is calling your name.

There's only one problem.

This slice of pizza is too hot to eat.

So let's cool it off with a few deep breaths.

Breathe in through your nose as you imagine the smell of pizza.

Then blow out through your mouth,

Cooling off the slice.

Now another deep breath in through your nose and then blow out across the pizza slice,

Cooling it off.

One last time,

Deep breath in smelling the pizza and one final breath out blowing on the slice to cool it down.

Great job.

Now it is the perfect temperature.

So imagine taking a bite.

Now think about the taste of pizza.

I wonder,

Is your imagination strong enough to convince yourself that you can really taste the pizza right now?

Close your eyes and see if you can taste it.

As you think about eating that slice of pizza,

Imagine it filling you up with warmth from the inside out.

I'd like to tell you about one of my favorite family traditions that we started several years ago.

Around my house we call Friday evening pizza party movie night.

That phrase probably explains itself,

But each Friday evening we eat pizza and we pick out a movie to watch together as a family.

And for the past two years I've made our pizza at home from scratch.

It has become like a habit and a routine,

And for me it's a very mindful experience.

Making a pizza from scratch is a slow process.

First I mix up pizza dough on Wednesday night,

Then it rises slowly in the refrigerator for a whole day.

Then I divide it into two dough balls,

Which spend another day slowly rising in the refrigerator.

And finally on Friday evening everything comes together as I stretch the dough into big circles,

Cover it with tomato sauce,

Mozzarella cheese,

And other toppings,

And then I put it in the oven to bake.

So today I thought we could practice mindfulness as we think about each stage of making a pizza.

We'll get your whole body moving and stretching as we imagine making a pizza.

So the first stage is making pizza dough.

If you've never touched pizza dough you could imagine it a bit like play-doh,

But it's stretchier and goo-ier.

Pizza dough is made from flour,

Water,

Salt,

Sometimes a little sugar and oil,

And a special ingredient called yeast.

Yeast is also found in bread,

And it's what makes dough rise.

As dough rises it grows bigger,

Expanding as it puffs up with air.

So right now we're going to imagine that your belly is a beautiful squishy ball of pizza dough.

Try giving your tummy a little poke.

Feel how it squishes in,

And then watch how it bounces back when you pull your finger away.

Pizza dough starts off a little bit like this too.

Now let's imagine your pizza dough belly rising.

Take a deep breath in and fill your tummy with air,

Puffing it out nice and big.

Now let that breath out.

Then let your pizza dough belly rise again.

Take a deep breath in and puff your stomach out as it fills with air.

Then let that breath out again.

One last time,

Let your pizza dough belly rise,

Filling up with air and puffing out big.

Then let that breath out one last time.

Next we'll imagine stretching a ball of dough into a nice big round circle,

The same size and shape the pizza is going to be.

So let your whole body stretch out.

Arms wide,

Legs spread.

You can stand or sit or lie down as you stretch out wide.

Once you've stretched yourself out as wide as you can,

You can relax.

And now it's time to top the pizza.

So imagine adding the sauce and then covering that with shredded mozzarella cheese.

And now you get to pick your favorite topping to go on top.

So what topping do you like to put on your pizza?

Do you prefer plain cheese,

Pepperoni,

Mushrooms,

Bell peppers?

Do you like to stick with familiar toppings?

Or do you like to try new and different pizza toppings?

Feel free to say your favorite pizza topping out loud or just think about it in your head.

Now that you've picked your favorite topping,

It's time to put this pizza in the oven.

For this part it will help to sit or lay down.

Because now we're going to imagine that we are the cheese.

First bubbling up and then melting down in a hot oven.

When cheese gets hot it turns bubbly.

So right now I want you to take a few seconds to just wiggle around like bubbly cheese.

Wiggle your fingers,

Wiggle your face,

Wiggle your whole body.

And then the cheese starts to melt.

So as you imagine melting,

Let your entire body relax.

Picture yourself as a gooey melty cheese.

You're melting and relaxing,

Sinking down into the sauce,

Spreading out across the pizza.

Just let yourself melt and relax more and more.

Melting,

Relaxing,

Sinking into the pizza.

Take a few more seconds to just see how relaxed you can make your whole body feel.

And just like that the pizza is ready.

The last thing we'll do is imagine that gooey cheese stretching out as you grab a slice of pizza.

You know when you pick up a piece of pizza and the cheese hangs on stretching out as you pull it towards your plate?

Imagine your body is that stretchy cheese.

So raise your arms high up over your head and stretch your fingertips like stretchy cheese.

And now end by relaxing.

Now it's time for affirmations.

Affirmations are words you can say about yourself to remind yourself how wonderful you are.

You can say them out loud or inside your head.

We'll say each affirmation twice.

So you can listen the first time and then say it with me the second time.

I am an amazing person.

I am an amazing person.

I choose to think positive thoughts.

I choose to think positive thoughts.

I speak kindly to others and myself.

I deserve to be happy.

It is okay to make mistakes.

It is enough to do my best.

I am grateful for all that I have.

I am grateful for all that I have.

I am proud of who I am.

I am proud of who I am.

Now let's smile and take a few slow deep breaths as we wind down our time together.

If any of those affirmations stood out to you,

Feel free to write them down or just store them safely in your mind to save when you need it.

If you have an affirmation that is special to you,

I would love to hear it.

You can even send a recording of an affirmation for me to play on the show.

Have a grownup check our website or show notes for more info.

I can't wait to spend some time together again soon.

Until then,

I like you,

I'm proud of you,

And I'm glad we are friends.

Have a happy and peaceful day.

Like You is written and hosted by me,

Noah Glenn.

I also composed and performed the Like You theme music and other music that appeared in the episode.

Our podcast cover art was illustrated by Maya Sane and our episode art is created by Lindsay Glenn.

If you've enjoyed the podcast,

I hope you'll tell your friends.

And thanks for listening.

Reviews

Really enjoyed this. What a fun experience and so visual for kiddos.