Practicing mindfulness (3-5)

General

This lesson teaches students how to practice mindfulness by guiding them through several exercises including belly breathing, flower/candle breathing, and the object scan mindfulness technique.

Learning objective

Students will be able to practice mindfulness techniques to calm their bodies and minds.

Introduction

Review busy minds and busy bodies and explain that mindfulness can help us stay calm, control our bodies, and focus. Remind students that they are not expected to be perfect and that is why we practice and exercise mindfulness regularly to get better. Go over some of the benefits of mindfulness practice and introduce the exercises students will be practicing.

Instruction

Introduce belly breathing and have students practice making their bellies move as they take big breaths. Click the link to watch the video as a helpful guide! Next, try flower/candle breathing. Tell students to try to elongate their exhalations. Check-in and ask students how this exercise felt. Which breathing technique did students prefer? After this, students use their five senses to notice their surroundings. What are 5 things they can see, 4 things they can touch, 3 things they can hear, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can taste? Reflect on this exercise as a class. Finally, students focus on one object and use their five senses to observe it.

Closing

Click on the spinner and practice the mindfulness technique you land on.

Teaching tips

Choose a time and try taking a few minutes each day to incorporate these exercises into your day! Make it a special time of the day and allow students to share their experiences.

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