Mindfulness for Kids: Introduction to Mindfulness
This session introduces mindfulness for kids, helping students notice what is happening in their bodies and around them in the present moment. Through a discussion about body clues like sweaty palms or feeling hot, they learn how these signs can point to a strong feeling. A quick game invites students to finish open-ended sentences in their own way. They leave with a plain understanding of what it means to be mindful.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Being Mindful
- Grade level
- Elementary School
Get everything you need to teach the skill
These materials are part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach included.
Engaging materials
Video modeling lessonIntroduction to Mindfulness
In this video modeling lesson, students learn how to use mindfulness to handle big feelings by noticing their body clues, using a breathing technique like belly breathing, and checking in on how they feel.
- Extension activity
Interactive Worksheet: My Mindful Toolbox
In this toolbox activity, students practice six mindfulness tools, like belly breathing, box breathing, and yoga, build a paper toolbox to hold them, and then draw or write about when they would use them.
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: Hot Cocoa Breathing2:05
- Video: Daily Intention2:59
- Video: Body Squeeze2:12
Session Opener
Guiding Question: What does it mean to be mindful?
Practice
- Discussion Question
- Role-Play Activity
- Mini Game
How to use it with your students
- 1Watch Play the video modeling lesson so students see the skill in action.
- 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
- 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.
What's Covered
In this lesson, students learned that mindfulness means paying attention to what is happening right now and noticing how their body feels. They practiced spotting body clues, like sweaty hands or feeling hot, that signal a big feeling. They tried slow belly breaths as a way to feel ready to handle the moment.
Key Terms
- Mindfulness
- Paying attention to what is happening right now, including how your body feels and what you see, hear, and smell.
- Body Clues
- Body clues are signals you notice inside your body, like a fast heartbeat, a hot face, or tense muscles, that tell you a feeling is starting. Noticing them early can help you figure out what your body needs.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
-
Mindfulness
Learner will independently initiate a mindfulness practice (e.g., breathing exercise, movement break, body scan) when noticing a need to reset, and engage with the practice for its full duration, in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
At home or in the community, when a student seems frustrated, try saying "Let's notice what your body is telling us right now." Naming the body clue together gives them a moment to slow down before deciding what to do next.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on Introduction to Mindfulness is free. You can access this intervention free for 14 days through the Everyday Speech Session Library. Every user gets three free sessions, but you can get more or extend your access by sharing the Session Library with friends and colleagues.
What ages is this for?
These materials are designed for elementary school students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on Introduction to Mindfulness, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Interactive Worksheet: My Mindful Toolbox.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, being mindful.
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