For this week’s mindfulness practice, I wanted to switch it up a bit! Instead of choosing a mindfulness practice I could do, I decided to take a look into the “teacher” side of mindfulness and search for ways you can implement it into your classroom on an educational level (activities, cross curricular lesson, etc.) I came across an awesome website called Education.com, this website has tons of resources for teachers, covers all grades and topics, AND most of the resources are FREE! Â
The lesson plan that stuck out to me most was “Paying Attention with Animal Breaths”. The reason it stuck out to me was most was because of its focus on using your breath. I feel that teaching breathing techniques early on could be a beneficial lesson for students as they can revert back to it in hard situations, explain it to others that are experiencing a hard time and it does not need any exterior materials, just yourself! Plus, from personal experiences I have noticed it calms the nervous system and takes your mind to a place of calmness and being in the present moment. Lastly, I love how the students can create their own “animal breath” that they can use forever and it is a cross curricular lesson as it incorporates literacy and art skills.
I strongly encourage you to check this website out and maybe create an “animal breath” of your own! 🙂
“Paying Attention with Animal Breaths” Lesson Plan PDF.