Slowing down to be with children: Exploring mindfulness practice as a relational pedagogical practice in early childhood education

This paper explores the relationship between mindfulness practice and slow relational pedagogy in early childhood education, drawing on insights from a qualitative study with early childhood educators. While mindfulness practice is often positioned as a discrete practice or intervention, mindfulness is increasingly understood as a way of being. Findings suggest that this way of being is enacted through everyday pedagogical interactions. Slow relational pedagogy emerged as a key expression of mindfulness in practice, emphasising presence, attentiveness and relational engagement. However, tensions arise within the structural constraints of early childhood settings. The paper argues for a reconceptualisation of mindfulness practice as a relational and pedagogical disposition.