Mindful Breathing Activities for the Classroom
Have you heard the buzz on mindfulness?! Mindfulness practices have been around for centuries around the world! In recent years, this ancient practice has made its way into mainstream culture, including schools.
There are several ways to practice mindfulness. Meditation is one of the most common mindful practices in the world. However, the term meditation often creates a sense of overwhelm in those who have not practiced it before. That’s why it can be helpful to learn mindfulness in a more familiar way, especially for young kids.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is simply the practice of creating awareness. This typically includes creating awareness of ourselves, such as what we are thinking or feeling. It also includes creating awareness of others, such as how we speak to people.
Learning to be aware of ourselves and others is important for adults and kids alike, but it can be especially helpful in young kids who are just learning about themselves and how to manage their thoughts, emotions, and interactions.
Some of our favorite mindfulness practices for kids are mindful movements, journaling, affirmations, communication, and breathing.
Why is Mindful Breathing for Kids Important?
While we love all the mindful practices mentioned above for kids, mindful breathing is our favorite one for teaching kids about mindfulness.
Breathing is something that kids do everyday. This makes it an accessible practice for ALL kids! It is also something that every kid can connect with, since they are literally breathing every moment of everyday.
When teaching kids a new skill, whether it is mindfulness or math, starting from a familiar place is one of the best ways to engage students in learning and to help them feel successful. This is why beginning with mindful breathing is so important.
How Do You Teach Mindful Breathing?
Mindful breathing can be as simple as having kids slowly count from 1 to 5 while they are inhaling and exhaling. This breathing technique teaches kids how to be aware of their breath and how to manage it in an effective way.
Begin by having students sit straight on the floor or at their desks. Invite them to close their eyes. Have them breathe in (inhale) for a full count of 5 (if you feel like 5 is too long, you can also just count 1 through 4). Have students slowly exhale for the same amount of time, taking a full count of 5 to release the breath. Repeat for at least 3 rounds.
This is a simply way to teach mindful breathing and introduce students to this practice. Check out more mindful breathing exercises for kids in our mindful breathing bundle.
Read more about how we teach our students about mindful affirmations or download the free affirmation bracelets by clicking the button below.
Why is Mindful Breathing for Students Important for Learning?
In addition to all the same reasons that mindful breathing is important for kids, since our students are kids, it also has added benefits specific to learning!
Mindful breathing helps students manage their behaviors and emotions in a positive way. This is important for students to learn in school because it teaches them how to deal with stressful situations, whether it is related to academics or socializing.
Mindful breathing helps students focus on their learning. A full school day is a long day for kids (it can even be long for teachers!). The longer the day feels, the harder it can be to focus on learning. Mindful breaks can be very beneficial.
Mindful breathing helps students refocus on their learning by giving them time, and permission, to pause when they feel distracted, breathe, and then start again. This is important for students to learn because it teaches them a simple technique they can use to have more control and ownership of their learning.
As a result of learning to focus and manage their emotions, students tend to be more engaged in the classroom. The more students are engaged in class, the more they are learning!
Try out mindful breathing in your classroom for just 3-5 minutes everyday and see the positive changes in your students, and in you!
