Mindfulness in the Classroom
How do you create a mindful classroom? If you are a class teacher and you want to bring more mindfulness into your classroom then I have three little tips for you today.
The scenario is the children have just been running around outside in the playground it’s a windy day and they are super excited and you’ve got a maths paper you want them to sit down and read.
These little tools can help you and them be more mindful.
Mindfulness in the Classroom – Tip 1
Breathwork
The first tip is a breath practice. Have them sitting down, and it’s quite simply called the 5:3 breath. Encourage them to do as much of the breathing as they can through their nose.
And even children as young as reception are able to do this. Breathe in for the count of 5. Then hold for 3, then they breathe out for the count of 5, and they hold it out for 3. And we’re trying to get them to begin breathing in at number 1 and end at number 5. And the same with breathing out.
They begin to breathe out at number 1 and they finish at breathing out at number 5. So they learn to control their breath. Let’s have a few little goes together.
- Breath in and out through the nose.
- Inhale 1 2 3 4 5
- Hold. 1 2 3
- Exhale 1 2 3 4 5
- Hold. 1 2 3.
- And relax.
This only needs to be done for a minute or so, a few rounds, and you’ll notice and feel the difference in the classroom.
Mindfulness in the Classroom – Tip 2
Glitter Jar
The second tip I’ve got for you is a little visual one. So you grab yourself a jar, any kind of jar.
And you fill it with water, a little bit of glue, and some glitter. And you say to the children, “this is your mind. At the moment, it’s clear, and you can see through it. [then shake the jar to stir up the glitter like a snow globe]. However, when the thoughts begin to swirl, the glitter are all of your thoughts. And there are always thoughts going around in the mind.”
“And you can see when there are so many thoughts, it’s difficult to see through, it’s difficult to see clearly. So just watch and wait as the thoughts settle.”
And you just get them to watch the glitter settle.
This is a really lovely little visual thing for children.
To see this in action watch this video
Mindfulness in the Classroom – Tip 3
Rainbow Meditation
And then the third little practice is a guided visualisation, like a meditation. It’s called the Rainbow Meditation. Get your class to close their eyes, and say to them, ‘think of the colours of the rainbow’. Depending on the age of the children, you can either say, visualise the colour red, or you can get them to visualise something that is red.
So, a postbox. A London bus. Get them to close their eyes, and breathe deeply through their nose, and then you say, with your eyes closed, just see in front of you, a London bus.
And then that disappears, and now you can see in front of you, an orange.
Allow that to disappear, and now you can see, a lemon.
Allow the lemon to dissolve. And now you can see green grass.
Green grass dissolves. And now you see a blue sky.
And that dissolves. Now you can see a purple stone.
And let that dissolve. And now you can see a bright white light.
Go through the colours of the rainbow.
You can visualise the colours, or you can choose something that is that colour, just like I did there.
Allow them to hold the visualisation in front of their eyes. It will help with their focus and concentration, depending on the age of your pupils.
Teenagers can certainly do this for a good seven minutes. You can hold them for a minute with each colour. This is great for bringing mindfulness in, a bit of peace, and don’t forget that any time they’re given mindfulness, any time they’re given some stillness, they’re connecting back to themselves. They are connecting back to the self, and how they feel and how they are that day, and that is really beautiful.
I am an Actress, Kundalini Teacher, Children’s Yoga Teacher and Mama. As the founder of the Train Children in Mindfulness course, I empower parents, teachers and any care giver to share mindfulness with children and teenagers.
My passion is ensuring that you are able to practice your self-care and enjoy your spiritual journey. My You Tube Channel provides masses of guidance and classes.
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