Teaching mindfulness in the classrooms is the need of the hour. Parents are stressed out – the teachers are stressed out, and so are the children. Present times are uncertain as no one knows for sure how long the world has to live in isolation and lockdowns. This air of uncertainty has made everyone more anxious. Children are often found worrying and stressing about the future, which is causing anxiety. This is where mindfulness comes in.
Seasoned educators are well aware of the fact that children learn best when are they are relaxed, safe, and in a comfortable environment. Every teacher wants his/her students to excel, not just inside classrooms but also outside, in the real world. Imagine if we could teach them mindfulness, allowing them to lead a happy and healthy life. But reinforcing mindfulness as a separate entity could turn out to be difficult, especially for young minds.
But there are subtle ways of incorporating mindfulness in the classroom; some of them are mentioned below.
Sensory experiences are a great way to learn, and it is one of the first abilities a child develops. Sensory experiences can also help children relax and focus. You can play calming sounds in the classrooms or, even better, take the children outside so they can hear the sounds of nature. This helps them focus on their sense of hearing. For touch, you can blindfold children and ask them to differentiate between a cotton ball and a sponge. For smell, you can do the activity of mind jars. It involves putting items with strong smells like flowers, cinnamon, cheese, etc. in jars and letting kids identify each jar based on their sense of smell. These activities won’t only help develop children’s sensory abilities, but they’ll also teach them mindfulness.
When we are anxious or stressed out, we often take shallow breaths into our chests. Young children often get nervous before a test, so you could teach them to use their breath to cam both their minds and bodies. Mindful breathing is simple, but first, you’ll need to perfect it to teach your students. Start by placing your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your belly. Feel the gentle rise and fall of your breath. To make things easier, you can count till three as you inhale and again count to three as you exhale. Once you’ve perfected the technique, turn it into a class activity, and tell your students to mimic your moves and actions. If it helps, they can also close their eyes. Run this activity a couple of times during the day so children can learn to stay calm even in the most difficult situations.
Young children are more imaginative than adults – they often make imaginary friends, and this keeps them happy. But have you thought that you can use their imagination to your advantage and teach mindfulness without them knowing it? The next time you’re about to start a new topic, ask your students to visualize it; let’s say you’re explaining about the forest; let them imagine that you’ve taken them on a safari expedition, and from there, the kids will carry on. But be careful that you’re the one in the driver’s seat, so lead your students and let their imagination do the rest. Have them imagine getting into safari jeeps, discovering different plants, and spotting different animals. If it helps, students can also close their eyes. This way, students will learn mindfulness through imagination while also taking a complete interest in what you’re teaching.
These are the ways educators can integrate mindfulness into the classrooms. Teaching your students mindfulness will have lifelong benefits. Therefore, start today and let your students reap its benefits for their entire lives.
