Top Tips For Using Meditation With Kids
Mindfulness is being encouraged more so in our classrooms these days, as more student present with mental health challenges. By incorporating mindfulness activities such as mediation or yoga into your classroom it benefits everyone. It assists students to better manage their body and mind, become more resilient, increases their attention span, improves the functioning of the brain, and assists with their emotional regulation.
I love taking time each day, usually, after recess or lunch, to stop, meditate, and refocus in order to reset the students before more learning takes place. It settles them and sets them up for greater success. It does not have to be a lengthy process. Once students get into the habit and routine of coming into the classroom and taking space it will flow easily.
I like to see;
Children take space and sit cross-legged comfortably on the floor
Allow cushions if they are available
Encourage good posture
Om together
Rub hands together then cup over their eyes
Dim the lights or turn them off. Pull the blinds closed
Light incense or an essential oil diffuser in the classroom
Allow children to take off their shoes
Ensure to encourage silence, encourage stillness. The first week of doing meditation in the classroom you may get giggles or children struggling to sit still. I ignore and praise those after who did a great job of being still. You will notice this distracting behaviour will decrease over the week as they begin to feel the benefits of relaxing and realise that it is something that will happen every day.
Resources for using meditation in your classroom;
My main go-to is the Smiling Mind app. We listen to the short audio sessions. I like to keep it under ten minutes
In moments of chaos or unsettledness, we will do a group ‘om’ together three times to settle everyone
Use the gratitude meditation from the Grow Your Mind website
Introduce some of the hand mudras for children to try while meditating
Read meditation scripts to the class such as these ones. Children visualise different scenes and it can be a great discussion at the end when children share.
Go Noodle has a channel called ‘flow’ where children can relax and think positive with less than five-minute mindfulness exercises. I like to use these at transition times.
Is meditation something you use in your classroom? What is the best way to incorporate it into your day? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.
