The benefits of Mindfulness in the Classroom

It is no secret that in today's world, children face unique and significant mental health challenges (ADHD, anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, etc.). With the rise of social media, academic pressure, and other factors influencing children's emotional and cognitive development, classrooms have found meaningful and active ways to help students work through emotions and feelings in the classroom. The inclusion of mindfulness in the 21st-century classroom has played a critical role in assisting students in retraining their minds to foster more positive and confident reactions to stress. In addition, studies have shown that integrating mindfulness education in the classroom through positive coping strategies (mindful breathing techniques, gratitude, meditation) facilitates improved academic achievement, emotional regulation, awareness, and responses to failure. All students can benefit from mindfulness!

5 Benefits of Mindfulness in the Classroom

1. Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Mindfulness in the classroom supports students in managing internal pressures, such as self-doubt, low self-esteem and confidence and external pressures, such as peer pressure and family expectations. 

2.  Increased Attention and Focus

Incorporating mindfulness in the classroom has been shown to support student focus and attention to a task. Mindful activities, such as meditation, can assist and improve students' attention span and eliminate disruptive behavior. 

3. Emotional and Social Intelligence

Mindfulness Education in the classroom fosters more empathetic and emotional understanding in students toward others and facilitates more positive and healthy responses to negative feelings.

4. Increased Memory

   Students who participate in mindfulness demonstrate greater memory skills and active listening skills. 

5. Perfectionism

Mindfulness education promotes positive awareness and acceptance of mistakes and reduces the emotional stress perfectionist students put on themselves. Mindfulness is a valuable strategy to help students who struggle with perfectionism since it provides them with healthy tools to recognize the learning process as an experience and something to be enjoyed without judgment. 

Reference link: https://www.trvst.world/mind-body/benefits-of-mindfulness-for-students/

Mindfulness Classroom Activity Examples

Here is an excellent resource for classroom mindfulness called The 5 Senses of Mindfulness. This activity supports students to slowly engage with their five senses and observe their environment calmly and mindfully. Students can ground themselves in the moment by interacting with the five senses and achieve clarity, focus and engagement. 

Another great activity to foster mindfulness in the classroom is Square Breathing. This activity facilitates awareness of mindfulness in breathing and meditation, enabling the clearing of the mind, body relaxation, and mental and physical focus. 

Video Resources 

Here are video resources to help see mindfulness in action and provide some methods and techniques best to achieve mindfulness education at the primary/junior level. Have a watch!

Mindfulness in the Classroom

4 Ways to Cultivate Mindfulness in the Classroom

Online Resource 

 The Calm Classroom is an excellent resource for educators and students for methods to promote mindfulness activities and techniques to support the emotional well-being of students. This organization is evidence-based, accessible, trauma-sensitive and engaging for k-12 students. Calm Classroom offers courses, services, training, and educational postings and videos to support classrooms on their mindfulness journey and transformation. Check it out! It is free! 

https://calmclassroom.com/pages/professional-development

Regards, 

GraceD@NU