Teaching students how to focus and self-regulate at a young age can provide them with skills that will help throughout their schooling and adult lives. Like anyone, they need easy-to-remember tools and strategies to calm their minds and focus on the moment. This interactive, research-based curriculum helps preK and elementary teachers integrate simple, ready-to-use stretching, breathing, and reflective exercises as well as other mindfulness practices into their daily classroom routines.
Includes a link to digital content.
INTRODUCTION
The Basics of Mindfulness.
About This Book
Research About the Benefits of Mindfulness
Benefits in the Classroom
How to Use This Book
Getting Started
MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES WEEK BY WEEK
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ENDNOTES
APPENDIX
The following scripts and modifications are available to download.
Mindful Breathing Scripts
Mindful Listening Scripts
Mindful Seeing Scripts
Mindful Eating Scripts
Modifications: Mindful Breathing & Mindful Stretching
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
"Mindful Classrooms offers wonderfully concrete activities for teachers who want to lead mindful movement and breathing exercises with their students in the classroom. It’s the perfect complement to the daily guided sitting practices that more and more schools are embedding into the school day to benefit both students and teachers. This book can help educators foster a more mindful classroom in which to support their students’ social and emotional learning."
- Laurie Grossman, director of social justice and educational equity, Inner Explorer, Inc.
"Mindful Classrooms has helped teach our students and staff to self-regulate when they are frustrated, angry, or anxious, or they need a brain break. Academics are very important but with the help of Mindful Classrooms, we are teaching whole-child life skills that will com- plement their academic work."
- Mark Overly, Carrcroft Elementary principal
"One of my favorite parts of the day is walking into a classroom where the teacher is leading a mindfulness activity. Seeing a room full of kiddos, sitting on the carpet, working on their breathing together, with the teacher modeling it with them . . . it’s really amazing to see. The Mindful Classrooms activities have been huge for our campus climate and we have even started incorporating mindfulness at our morning assemblies. It’s that important."
- Brian Hill, Pillow Elementary principal