After my recent post on cultivating mindfulness I wanted to add some of my favorite tools and resources to share with all of you! Please add any suggestions or tools you use to build awareness and presence in your classroom in the comments below!
1. Go Noodle! is a resource my kids love when we (rarely) have a rainy day here in Los Angeles. They love rocking out with the indoor recess channel and guided dances! These are definitely fun but if you look through the channels section there are many meditation and calming activities to help your students return to the present and build stillness.
2. Mindful Schools offers free videos and lessons to support educators integrate the practice of “presence” in the classroom. I love the guided practices for my smart board, the body scan audio guides students through the act of bringing awareness to the body.
3. Vanderbilt University compiled a list of classroom activities and pedagogical practices supporting mindful techniques to calm and focus children. Some of the activities may or may not work in your classroom but we can always benefit from reviewing the pedagogy behind our teaching practices!
4. I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of The Teaching Channel for both resources and inspiration! Amy Mechler shares in her beautiful post, “Mindfulness in the Classroom,” how she uses a simple chime and breathing techniques to bring awareness to her students. Enjoy her video on how she uses a relaxation exercise in one of her lessons.
5. Finally, PBS offers a teacher’s guide from their film “Buddha” supporting teachers through the transition from the hustle bustle of the classroom. My favorite section 0f this document focuses on the teacher’s mindset as a “prerequisite to sharing mindfulness with your students.”
Please share what resource helped your class and how you use mindfulness in your classroom! Tag me on Instagram @teachplease or post on Facebook!