Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present and only the present.

Paying attention to the present allows children, and adults, to distract themselves from worries and concerns that may have arisen in the past or they fear may arise in the future. The essence of mindfulness is to train our minds to focus on the now and avoid the clutter associated with worry and anxiety.

Childhood stress and anxiety can have devastating effects on our children so it is important that we teach techniques that, once learned, can be used into adulthood to help people remain at peace.

Over the past couple of years there have been growing concerns about the mental welfare of a whole generation of children. Paralleled largely to the rise of social media and the proliferation of personal devices, Generation Z is seemingly more vulnerable and susceptible to the damaging effects bourne of a new social age.

Mindfulness practices can help to alleviate some of the effects of our new connected, information-driven world. As we become more mindful, we become more aware of the pace at which the digital world is moving and allow our children the opportunity to take a step back.

Studies are showing that mindfulness can help children improve control over and flexibility of their thoughts, increasing wellbeing and mental health. Freeing children from the constraints of negative thought can lead to increased social, attention and retention skills. Further studies have demonstrated improved mathematics grades and a reduction in exam related stress.

Mental health in children can manifest in a number of ways which can impact upon other children, teachers, family, and, most concerning of all, their own wellbeing. Now is the time to start making small steps towards an improved future for all.

Mindfulness practice should be easy to implement and engaging enough so that your class are happy to be involved and look forward to your next session. We think the methods below are a great starting point for your classroom and school.

This practice really does bring children’s focus back to the present and is a perfect introduction to the core element of mindfulness. Children can begin this practice lying down, seated or standing as the impetus is on concentrating on incoming signals. Once settled, have your children focus on what they can sense. What they can see, smell, hear, taste and touch. Without speaking, they should simply focus on these senses. You may wish to prompt them to move on to the next sense.

In her popular TED Talk, Amy Cuddy spoke about how our body language, via ‘power posing’, can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies. Power posing can be a really fun way of practising mindfulness in your classroom as children should be fully focussed on their pose and breathing.

To strike your superhero pose:

• Place feet hip-width apart.
• Clench fists and either: placed on both hips; or one hand placed on a hip and the other pointing to the ceiling.
• Eyes closed once in position.
• Breathe slowly, and steadyily.
• Hold for 2 minutes.

This visual practice is outlined by Karen Young. Fill a jar with water and add glitter glue (or a combination of glue and glitter). Shake the jar with the lid on. Then, holding the jar, Karen has prepared a loose script to follow:

“Imagine that the glitter is like your thoughts when you’re stressed, mad or upset. See how they whirl around and make it really hard to see clearly? That’s why it’s so easy to make silly decisions when you’re upset – because you’re not thinking clearly. Don’t worry this is normal and it happens in all of us (yep, grownups too).

[Now put the jar down in front of them.]

Now watch what happens when you’re still for a couple of moments. Keep watching. See how the glitter starts to settle and the water clears? Your mind works the same way. When you’re calm for a little while, your thoughts start to settle and you start to see things much clearer”

This practice illustrates effectively the chaos that can sometimes exist in the mind of a child.

Mindful breathing can encourage calmness and a focus on the breath that alleviates the persistence of other thoughts. This practice incorporates deep breathing with the presence of a ‘buddy’ that may bring further peace to children. Children should choose a stuffed animal or toy for their buddy. Once chosen, children should lie on their back with their buddy on their tummy. Breathing slowing, children should focus on the rise and fall of their buddy. The rythmic movement encourages children to breathe slowly whilst focussing on their breath and their buddy.

A short and very simple practice that can be used at any time. Placing the heal of their hands together and touching thumb-to-thumb, little-finger-to-little-finger, children create a flower shape with their hands. Closing their eyes, children breathe in through their noses to ‘smell’ the flower. They then breathe out through their mouths to blow the petals off the flower. As this practice is so simple it can be practised whenever they are overwhelmed with negative thoughts and feelings.

There are a number of apps, books and websites that help children to develop a solid mindfulness practice.

Headspace is the leading mindfulness and mediation app for adults and offers practices for children as well. You can download on iTunes and Google Play.

DreamyKid is an app that encourages meditations, visualisations and affirmations for children. You can download on iTunes and Google Play.

Annaka Harris has a number of audio exercises on her website for 6-11 year olds.

Glad To Be Dan, written by Mindfulness Practitioner Jo Haworth, is a children’s story that explores different emotions and encourages mindfulness exercises. Find it on Amazon.

The UK has a growing number of organisations helping schools implement mindfulness practices. You can find out more below.

Mindfulness in School [link]

The Mindfulness Initiative [link]

Youth Mindfulness [link]

MindUP [link]

Mindful Schools [link]

‘It stops the scary stuff’: pupils thrive with mindfulness lessons [Guardian article]