You’ve probably seen it in your classroom — stress, anxiety, big, uncontrolled emotions. In fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 31.9% of adolescents have an anxiety disorder. Many schools are turning to mindfulness — and less stress isn’t the only benefit.
Mindful classrooms see a number of benefits, including:
- Improved mental health
- Improved social behavior
- Boosts in academic performance
The first makes sense. Mindfulness is long associated with lowering stress. Less stress along with deeper connections in the brain help students do better in school. Mindfulness is also associated with better self-regulation, which can show up as improved behavior in the classroom.
How to create a mindful classroom
Your day is already full, but it doesn’t take long to create a mindful classroom. Adding a few brief activities can make a big difference. Try:
- Starting the day with a guided meditation.
- Using tapping and a short mantra, such as “I am calm” or “I am focused.”
- Asking students to notice 5 things they see, 4 things they hear, 3 things they feel, 2 things they smell, and 1 thing they taste in this moment.
- Practicing STOP — Stop, take a breath, observe, proceed.
- Creating calming corners in your classroom. These can be quiet areas with less stimulation where students can take a few moments when needed.
Paying attention to breath is a simple activity kids can do anywhere. Practicing a short breathing exercise before you start the day can help settle students and set a tone for learning. Once students learn the practice, you can use it at any time for classroom management. Students can use it at any time for self-regulation when faced with a stressful situation, such as before a test.
For best results, build mindfulness into your regular routine. For example, start and end the day with a mindfulness activity. You can build in mindfulness at other times as needed, but making it part of your daily routine will help make sure it happens and make it something students expect. Plus, students will develop their mindfulness practice through regular repetition.
Brain breaks and mindfulness go hand In hand
Brain breaks are short activities that give students a mental pause. They also let students reset with intention and focus. Brain breaks are a great way to keep kids on task and enhance learning.
You can use traditional mindfulness techniques like breathing exercises, the tapping mantras, or the 5 senses activity described above as brain breaks. You can also use other activities that may seem less Zen, but that help students re-energize and refocus on the moment.
For example, try “Red Elbow” after focused academic work. Students need awareness of their environment and body to play this game. Call out a body part and a color, for example red elbow or green thumb. Students must find something in the classroom of the color you call and touch it with the body part you call.
Get the Classroom Games Cheat Sheets for more re-energizing and refocusing activities to add more mindfulness to your school days:
Looking for ideas to bring more mindfulness to your classroom? Brain Break Cards give you easy to execute activities for quick mindfulness breaks.
For example, instead of the 5 senses 5-4-3-2-1 mindfulness activity, you could have students try this one:
5. Touch 5 things.
4. Pat your head 4 times
3. Hop on your left foot 3 times.
2. Touch your nose 2 times
1. Shout ‘boo’ one time.
This activity puts students in touch with their environment and body and gives them a chance to move and release energy.
Get 60 different brain break ideas, some for groups and some for individual brain breaks, with this set. You can have a student leader for mindfulness who leads your morning mindfulness activity or who chooses the Brain Break Card for the day.
Another option is to give students three individual activity Brain Break Cards for homework and let them choose which to do. It’s a great way for students to bring their mindfulness practice home.
Here’s to less stress and more learning through mindfulness.
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