Teachers can use a variety of activities to introduce mindfulness in the classroom, such as meditation, guided imagery, conscious breathing, body scanning, drawing, and other activities related to personal and space awareness, along with gratitude practices. Students can also practice in the classroom and at home. Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from purposefully paying attention, in the present moment and without prejudice, to the development of the experience moment by moment. Research shows that mindfulness skills improve memory, organizational skills, reading and math scores, while providing children with the tools they need to manage toxic stress.
Including parents when introducing a program is a way of exposing them to what mindfulness is and isn't. As you become increasingly familiar with the usual patterns of your mind, mindfulness allows you to CHOOSE what your mind focuses on by interrupting its habits. In addition, mindfulness strengthens some underlying developmental processes, such as concentration, resilience and self-relaxation, that will help children in the long term. Most experts believe that the best implementation of mindfulness involves the teacher having their own mindfulness practice or, at least, an understanding.
In mindfulness meditation, you learn to stay aware of what's happening and what you're feeling right now, whether you like it, don't like it, or you're confused about it. You can try to introduce a new mindfulness practice every week, every month, or every quarter, or simply choose an idea (mindful breathing, for example) and practice it throughout the year.
