Home » Blog » General » Student Mindfulness Exercises

Post Image
General

Student Mindfulness Exercises

children meditating on their desks

Take a deep breath. You did it! You made it through quite possibly one of the most challenging Septembers of your life as an educator. Transitioning from a year and a half of virtual learning to in-person learning has its challenges, to say the least. You and your students may be feeling higher stress levels than usual as a result of all the recent changes, and that’s understandable! You can use student mindfulness exercises to help calm down, re-center, and ease through this transition together.

According to Pearson, incorporating mindfulness practices into your day can help reduce stress and anxiety related to the pandemic or other disruptive life events. One recent study found that incorporating mindfulness into the classroom can reduce students’ sense of stress and help them stay engaged, which will help them to stay on track academically and avoid behavior problems.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the awareness that comes from looking inward. It is experiencing the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness is not about numbing emotions or ignoring feelings. When practicing mindfulness with your learners, you are giving them the techniques, tools, and strategies to calm themselves, focus their attention and interact effectively and positively with others.

By practicing mindfulness with your learners you will be:

Student Mindfulness Exercises

Incorporating mindfulness into your teaching can be a game-changer for your learners. It can help to combat some of the academic, social, and emotional skill setbacks caused by the pandemic.

Here are some quick and easy ways to sprinkle a little mindfulness into your teaching:

Breathing

Breathing is a common way to practice mindfulness. It is great for regaining focus and calming the body. Before starting a lesson, have your learners close their eyes and take five calming breaths. Try this belly breathing technique with your class.

Journaling

Have your learners pull out a piece of paper or even a dedicated mindfulness notebook and respond to prompts such as, “How are you feeling right now?” or “What is currently on your mind?” Quiet, independent, writing time provides your learners with the opportunity to mindfully reflect and feel a sense of calm and relief as they get their thoughts out on paper.

Watching

Press play on some Everyday Speech videos that teach your learners various mindfulness skills and strategies through breathing practice, guided meditation, and live-action video modeling. Check out this Mindfulness for Kids video!

Practicing mindfulness with your students is the key to unlocking a calm and successful learning environment this school year.

Related Resources


“Everyday Speech has been a resource that is perfect for my graudate students, clients, families, and myself. With half of our pramatics group on Zoom and half in person, Everyday Speech has allowed us to interact together and have valuable disucssions. Thank you for creating such a robust platform that is engaging and instructional! Thank you for making my job easier and more efficient!”

— Elaine Wagstaff, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist
Post Image

Related Blog Posts:

Free Elementary Play Skills Lesson

The playground is more than just a place for physical activity; it's a social hub where important life lessons unfold. For special educators, teaching students to include everyone on the playground is vital in fostering an environment of empathy and respect. Keep...

Free Elementary Perspective Taking Goal Poster

Download Activity and Lesson Plan In need of a resource for teaching perspective-taking to your elementary students? Look no further, download our free elementary perspective-taking goal poster! Teaching Perspective Taking to Elementary Students You can successfully...

Free Elementary Handling Change Lesson

Navigating the emotional waves of the classroom is a daily reality for elementary students. As special educators, teaching them how to self-regulate using tools like Everyday Speech's "Self-Controller Scanner" can be game-changing. Keep reading for a free elementary...

FREE MATERIALS

Better doesn’t have to be harder!

Social Skills Lessons Students Actually Enjoy!

Be the best educator you can be with no extra prep time needed. Sign up to get access to free samples from the best Social Skills and Social-Emotional educational platform.