Mindfulness in the Classroom

Teaching mindfulness in the classroom is a great way to boost social-emotional learning so that students, and teachers alike, can feel equipped to handle the stress and emotions of the day. Mindfulness helps us to slow down, experience the present moment, and adopt a happy and healthy attitude. Let’s learn more about the importance of mindfulness and how to help teach it in your classroom.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the act of being aware of the present moment while having control of your emotions, feelings, thoughts, and body sensations. For children, learning to recognize and regulate thoughts, feelings, emotions, and sensations can be challenging. Two important social-emotional skills to learn are self-awareness and self-control. You can help teach and reinforce these skills with young children to increase their positive self-image and well-being.

Students who are stressed and anxious have trouble focusing, making for a difficult day and a distracting classroom environment. By teaching mindfulness, you are teaching children how to focus, channel their attention, and recognize and appropriately cope with their emotions. While mindfulness may not feel like a traditional academic skill found in schools, focusing on social-emotional learning is becoming increasingly important so that kids can bring their best selves into the classroom.

If you want to help your students understand mindfulness, you could have them read this “Three Little Pigs” readers’ theater. Then, discuss the actions of the second little pig and the wolf to help them understand the meaning of mindfulness and how it helps us in our daily lives.

What Does Research Say About Mindfulness in the Classroom?

Brain imaging research shows that practicing mindfulness can change how children deal with stress. In the research study Evidence for the Impact of Mindfulness on Children and Young People, Katherine Weare says it can thicken the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for perception and reasoning. The study showed that teaching your students mindfulness helps reduce their stress levels while also helping them avoid feeling anxious or depressed.

Mindfulness is especially helpful for special education students.

One study showed that students with learning disabilities got better grades and had fewer behavior problems after they started lessons on mindfulness.

Why Is Mindfulness in the Classroom Important?

Mindfulness can help children focus and pay attention, recognize how their body feels and what they need, calmly react to stressful situations, and increase their positive self-image.

Mindfulness is also extremely helpful for children with learning disabilities, such as ADHD and Autism, as it can increase focus and regulate emotional responses.

Mental health is a hot topic in elementary, middle, and high school. Mindfulness activities can vary depending on the age group you teach, but the more regular mindfulness training students receive, the more emotional regulation and less burnout will be seen. If students receive mindfulness education starting in elementary school, by the time they are adolescents, they will be able to check in on themselves, independently incorporate mindfulness throughout the school day, and ultimately have better mental health and higher academic performance.

If children are anxious, unable to focus, overly emotional, and distracted, they will not be as successful academically. To help children meet their academic goals, we should teach them mindfulness techniques they can tap into as they need them. This is a wonderful way to set them up for success.

As students practice mindfulness, they will learn to channel their emotions, focus amidst distractions, and pay attention for extended periods. They will discover that learning comes easily, and school will become a place of calm and safety.

What Are 5 Mindfulness Exercises I Can Do with Students?

Here are some easy mindfulness exercises that require little to no materials or prep time. They are appropriate for a number of ages and settings and will help teach the beginnings of self-regulation for learners.

1. Pinwheel Breathing - Breathing exercises are a great way to relax, calm down, and focus. Taking deep breaths helps to regulate heart rate, focus attention, and stay in the moment. A great way to practice mindful breathing is with the visual of a pinwheel. Have your students blow onto a pinwheel and observe how it spins depending on how much breath they use. They will be able to witness the differences in the amount of breath by the way the wheel speeds up and slows down. They will learn how to regulate their breath to find the right speed.
2. Body Scan - This activity requires no materials, making it great for spur-of-the-moment situations where children need a quick way to regulate. Have your students lie down or sit in their chairs with closed eyes. Slowly guide them as they scan through their body, from their heads to their toes, while working to recognize how each part feels. As they pinpoint and focus on each piece of their body, encourage them to release and relax each muscle.
3. Poses - Yoga is a great way to teach body awareness and control to children. Hold up different yoga cards or demonstrate the movements at the front of the classroom. Have the students follow your actions while focusing on balance, control, and strength. Yoga also encourages being quiet and calm while working to control large and small muscles. Mindful movements help kids tune in to their bodies and mind and how each affects the other.
4. Mindful Eating - During the school day, eating can often feel rushed and distracting, especially in a busy cafeteria. If you can, offer a snack time in the classroom where there is less hustle and bustle. As your students eat, have them focus on the flavors, textures, and feelings of the food as they slowly chew and swallow. Tell them how many times they should chew before swallowing. They will likely be surprised to hear that the recommended number is 32 times!
5. Guided Meditation - Lead your students through a guided meditation activity. During a quiet moment, turn down the classroom lights, have your students close their eyes, place their heads on their desks, and follow the gentle guided meditation. The “Green Child Magazine” website has some mindfulness meditation scripts you can use. Be sure to speak in a soft, slow voice to help your students relax.

If you want even more ideas for leading your students in mindfulness exercises, this Mindful Classrooms guide is filled with 5-minute mindfulness practices you can do with your students.

What Are Some Online Mindfulness Resources?

If you don’t feel comfortable leading your students in mindfulness exercises yourself, many online resources can do it for you. Just choose one of these websites, play a video, and have your students follow the directions. You can even participate and enjoy the benefits of practicing mindfulness, too!

1. Go Noodle - You may be familiar with the Go Noodle website for brain breaks in the classroom, but this website also has a lot of mindfulness activities. On the “Flow Channel,” your students will be led in breathing exercises and activities to help them focus on the present moment and feel relaxed and happy. 
2. Cosmic Kids Yoga - On her YouTube Channel, Jaime has lots of short videos that can teach your students basic yoga moves. She also focuses on guided meditation. Allow your students to relax as they visualize a trip to the moon and stars or a rainbow waterfall. 
3. The Mindfulness Teacher - Holly Morris, will walk your students through mindfulness activities on her YouTube channel. She has videos to guide them through a body scan and belly breathing. She even has relaxing music timers that you can use to help your students focus and stay calm while they are doing their work.
4. New Horizon - The New Horizon YouTube channel focuses on guided meditation for kids. These videos are longer than the others, so they are something you could do once a week or less frequently than some of the others. However, your students will love leaving their troubles behind as they are led through fantasy lands and on fun adventures.

When Should I Do Mindfulness Activities with My Students?

Now that you know how to teach your students about mindfulness, you may wonder when this will fit into the school day. Your schedule is probably already filled with math, science, reading, and writing. There may not be built-in time for social and emotional learning or SEL activities.

Luckily, many of these mindfulness activities are quick and can be done in just a few minutes. One important thing to remember is that mindfulness requires consistency, so you should incorporate small activities each day throughout the school year.

Here are some ways you can do that:

• Start your day with a morning meeting. Once your students arrive in the morning, have them gather on the carpet. Choose a quick mindfulness activity to do together. This is a great way to start the day because it will calm your students and prepare them to start learning.
• Add mindfulness to your SEL time. If your school district has realized the importance of teaching students social-emotional skills, your SEL lessons are also the perfect time to build in mindfulness. They might even be included in the curriculum you’re using!
• Use mindfulness activities during transitions. As your students move from one activity to another, they can quickly become distracted. Help them to transition from one lesson to another or from one classroom to another with a mindfulness activity. This can be especially helpful when your students are loud and excited when they return from recess. 
• End the day with mindfulness. Have your students use a mindfulness activity to reflect on their day. You can have them close their eyes and visualize things that went well in their day. This will help them have a positive mindset as they head home.

In addition to group mindfulness lessons and activities, you can use these strategies with individual students during the day. If you see students struggling to focus or exhibiting inappropriate behaviors, try doing a quick mindfulness exercise with them. This will help them calm down and reflect on their actions.

Mindfulness is beneficial for all the students in your classroom. Practicing mindfulness for just a few minutes a day will help them reduce stress, have a more positive attitude, and focus better in class.

Mindfulness isn’t only helpful for your student’s emotional well-being, but it also has huge benefits for you as a teacher. Find out how one teacher used mindfulness to transform her teaching.

TeacherVision has a whole host of mindfulness resources that can support you in the classroom, from self-care strategies to social-emotional learning.

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