Mindfulness Classroom Exercises

With kids and teens surrounded by images 24/7, teaching them relaxation techniques is crucial for their overall well-being. Studies have documented the multifold benefits, including improved learning, boosted coping skills, and bolstered long-term mental health. The onus is on parents and educators not only to protect children but also to equip them with actionable tools and techniques. Mindfulness has become the go-to toolkit for millions of people across the world. Over the last decade, techniques have made it into lecture halls and classrooms with teachers passing on invaluable tools. This post delivers some of the most effective mindfulness classroom exercises for teachers and higher education professionals.

We examine related scientific studies while providing a pathway to the mindful classroom.

The stress levels among children and teens are on an upward trajectory. According to EU-co-funded 2021 Unicef research, 16% of 10 to 19-year-olds suffer mental health problems. European teenagers are experiencing spiralling anxiety levels, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm tendencies. This makes for uncomfortable but essential reading. Statistics such as these must compel parents and educators to prioritise mental well-being among children, teens, and young adults.

Research into Mindfulness Benefits for Teens and Young Adults

A proven and trusted practice among millions, mindfulness has gained a firm foothold in mental well-being promotion. Although in its infancy, research into the benefits of mindfulness for children and teens confirms its value.

In late 2023, scientists published the results of a study carried out in India among adolescents attending mindfulness classes. Over four weeks, school-attending teens took part in 12 mindfulness classes. Participants documented improved academic capabilities, enhanced emotional coping skills, and reduced stress levels.

Such findings are encouraging, making the need to introduce mindfulness in the classroom all the more pressing.

Let’s move on to some of the best mindfulness classroom exercises. In the ensuing paragraphs, you will find mindfulness classroom activities for children, teenagers, and young adults. You can adapt the activities to suit the age of your students.

The exercises are suitable for use in schools, higher education facilities, and community settings, providing a roadmap for parents and educators supporting kids, teens, and young adults.

Preparing the Time and Space

Before presenting the activities, let’s discuss the preparation.

It’s best to create a mindfulness habit, meaning you need to pencil in a classroom mindfulness practice preferably every day at a similar time. A routine creates learning momentum and a sense of security and comfort.

To prepare the space in the classroom, clear away desks and create a comfortable, open space where the pupils or students can sit and move freely. Outdoor mindfulness activities require more effort but nature provides the best backdrop for mindfulness practices.

Mindfulness Classroom Exercises for Teens and Young Adults

If you have never introduced mindfulness to your class but personally find the benefits great, you are bound to lead by example. Keep the introduction simple. Explain how mindfulness helps us to become aware of our mind, feelings, and body. Finish your introduction by presenting mindfulness as a way of taking care of yourself.

Before you start your mindfulness classroom exercise, ask the class to settle down on the floor and close their eyes. To kickstart the activity, ring a bell. This mindfulness bell will become a familiar and welcome sign for your class.

Breathwork – Teaching Students to Breathe Deeply

Breathing properly is a skill that can help us cope with the most stressful situations. Mindfulness breathwork delivers life-long benefits, so teaching pupils how to breathe deeply is a no-brainer.

Colour Breathing: Ask your class to exhale and inhale fully and deeply visualising their breath in a colour of their choice. They may choose to breathe in blue and exhale green. Practice deep breathing for 3-5 minutes.
Balloon Breathing: Invite the kids to imagine a balloon inside their body. As they inhale it inflates, and as they exhale it deflates. (3-5 minutes)

Bodywork – Helping Kids Reconnect With Their Body

The onslaught of technology has considerably reduced the time kids are physically active. Mindfulness bodywork counters this trend by helping kids reconnect and develop a fresh body awareness. The body-mind connection is crucial in stress level reduction. As a result, the following activities can help withstand pressures at any stage in life.

The Body Scan: Ask your class to lie or sit down and close their eyes. Guide them through a body scan, inviting them to become aware of all their body parts and release any possible tension while breathing deeply.
The Five Senses: Explain the wonders of our five senses and proceed to ask the kids to find five things to see, five things to hear, five things to touch, five things to smell, and to imagine five different tastes.
Simple Stretching and Balancing Exercises: Give the class a manageable stretching or balancing exercise. Challenge them a little so that they will need to focus and leave behind any worries they may have. Balancing activities are excellent stress busters.

Mindwork – Helping Pupils to Calm Thoughts

Being an adolescent or young adult has never been harder, many believe. The following mindfulness practices can help calm thoughts and cope with the complexities of life.

Getting Creative: Ask your class to express thoughts and feelings either in writing (journalling, poetry) or through art (drawing, sculpting).
The Mind Jar: Fill jars with water and glitter, one for each pupil. Ask them to shake it and watch the glitter settle at the bottom, introducing the analogy to our thoughts. This exercise creates a strong experience of how to find stillness.
Guided Meditations and Visualisations: Ask your pupils to sit in silence, close their eyes, and breathe deeply and slowly. Guide them on an imaginary nature walk and as you do, encourage them to experience the walk with all their senses.

Heartfulness – Helping Pupils Deal With Feelings

The following mindfulness classroom exercises allow you to help your class process and cope with emotions without having to express them unless they wish to.

Check-Ins: Ask your students to sit down, close their eyes, and examine their feelings. They can openly share them or merely take note of them. You can follow this activity with a creative activity to enhance the benefits.
Heartfulness Mediation: Guide your class to connect to their hearts and the people they love during a meditation. You can encourage them to use affirmations such as “I am safe”, “I am loved”, I am happy”.

Mindfulness in the Outdoor Classroom

You can do most of the above exercises outdoors, benefiting from the healthy stimulation and backdrop nature provides. Bring your class on a mindful walk, have a mindful picnic, or challenge the senses with outdoor goodness.

Mindfulness Classroom Exercises and How to Experience Them Yourself

If you are new to mindfulness or want to learn more, you might like to participate in a mindfulness programme for educators. The Atlantic Centre of Education offers a designated course to introduce the best mindfulness practices to educational settings.

You can participate in our pre-funded Erasmus+ Tools for Mindful Educators course and spend a week learning and practising the best mindfulness techniques.