Tips for using Mindfulness
in the Classroom
Choose a time for mindfulness: practice
mindfulness at the same time everyday. Many
teachers find mindfulness helps their class
settle down after recess or lunch.
Create the environment: make it clear that
mindfulness is a special time. Clear off desks,
move to the carpet or have all chairs face the
front of the room. Ask students not to take
bathroom breaks and refrain from talking and
moving during this time
Practice every day: the sooner you begin to
integrate mindfulness into your daily
classroom routine the quicker it will become a
part of the classroom culture.
Bring awareness to their breathing:
identify something specific to which they can
focus their attention, such as the feeling of
the air as it enters their nose, or the feeling of
the air as it enters their lungs.
(Cowan 2010)
Try this script!
You can do the same thing every day. A simple lesson to repeat daily is one minute of
mindful listening and one minute of mindful breathing.
1. Please get into your mindful bodiesstill and quiet, sitting upright, eyes closed.
2. Now place all your attention on the sound you are about to hear. Listen until the
sound is completely gone.
3. Ring a mindfulness bell, or have a student ring the bell. Use a bell with a sustained
sound or a rainstick to encourage mindful listening.
4. Please raise your hand when you can no longer hear the sound.
5. When most or all have raised their hands, you can say, Now slowly, mindfully, move
your hand to your stomach or chest, and just feel your breathing.
6. You can help students stay focused during the breathing with reminders like, Just
breathing in just breathing out
;
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Spring 2016
(The Yoga Kids 2014)
Why use Mindfulness in the
Classroom?
Research has shown that todays students experience more stress
and anxiety than ever before. Children are also found to be
multitasking as they face information overload due to watching
hours of television, browsing the Internet, and playing video
games often simultaneously. This results in problems with children
directing their attention. It is important that students are able to
focus their attention in order to learn in the classroom. Mindfulness
is one of the techniques teachers can use to focus and maintain
student attention, which can lead to decreased stress and
increased learning. An important part of mindfulness practice is
the focus on the breath. Breathing has been reported to regulate
the autonomic nervous system, focus the mind and increase selfawareness. Mindfulness can benefit students because it can
improve learning performance by causing students to be more
focused and become better able to deal with stressful situations. A
study done in 2004 found that teachers who practiced mindfulness
with their students were able to create positive changes inside and
outside of their classroom. Those students were found to focus and
relax better, it reduced test anxiety, helped them make better
decisions at times of conflict and it was found to be easier to
2
redirect their attention when they became off task. Overall the
;
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Spring 2016
Great Mindfulness Resources
The Mindful Classroom Amazing blog with a ton of creative ideas
and resources to use in the classroom.
https://themindfulclassroom.wordpress.com/
Mindful Teacher Free Activities, resources and great selection of
recommended books about mindfulness
http://www.mindfulteachers.org/p/free-resources-and-lesson-plans.html
The Free Mindfulness Project: A great selection of free guided
meditations to download. http://www.freemindfulness.org/download
Huff Post Parents: A Mindful Minute - 3 fun mindfulness exercises for
kidshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/renee-jain/a-mindful-minute-3-funmi_b_6392226.html
Pocket Mindfulness 3 mindfulness exercises for kids.
http://www.pocketmindfulness.com/mindfulness-exercises-for-kids/
Mind Body Green 7 fun activities to teach your kids mindfulness
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18136/7-fun-ways-to-teachyour-kids-mindfulness.html
Just Breathe 4 minute film to show students about how to use
mindfulness and breathing to cope with emotions.
http://www.mindful.org/kindergarteners-talk-about-mindfulnessin-just-breathe-short-film/
Annaka Harris: Guided mindfulness for children friendly wishes,
mindful hearing and mindful breathing.
o http://annakaharris.com/mindfulness-for-children/
Edutopia: Breathing Buddies instructional video great breathing
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Sources cited in this
document:
Cowan, Megan. (2010, May 13). Tips for Teaching Mindfulness to Kids.
Retrieved from:
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/tips_for_teaching_mindfulness
_to_kids/
Holley, K.L., Krech, P.R. & Napoli, M. (2008). Mindfulness Training for
Elementary School Students. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 21:1,
99-125.
The Yoga Kids (2014). Girl blowing pinwheel. Retrieved from
http://www.theyogakids.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Girl-Blowing-
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