EMPOWERING CHILDRENS WELLBEING
Mindfulness For Schools
Enhancing young peoples wellbeing through mindfulness
Today, more than ever, young people are facing challenges that can have a profound affect on their wellbeing. Information overload, social media, environmental anxiety, peer pressure and the covid-19 pandemic are just a few of the stressors that young people are navigating as they grow up.
As an antidote to the fast pace and challenges young people experience today, mindfulness can be a wonderful tool that can help them find calm in the middle of it all. By teaching young people mindfulness skills we help them increase their well-being and enable them to meet the stresses of the world with presence, self-compassion, and openness.
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When we teach mindfulness to young people, we equip them with tools to build self-esteem, manage stress, and skilfully approach challenges. My approach to mindfulness for young people is about supporting them to develop these skills so that they can use them anytime, anywhere, to feel calm, confident and resilient.
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How mindfulness can help
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Mindfulness, at its simplest, is learning to pay attention to what is happening in the present moment, rather than worrying about what has happened or might happen in the future. When we teach young people to cultivate greater present moment awareness they can more skilfully respond, rather than react, to whatever is happening.
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In practical terms this may look like being able to reduce exam stress, navigate friendship challenges with more confidence or have more resilience to overcome difficulties they might face.
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The benefits of mindfulness in schools
WELLBEING & MENTAL HEALTH
As well as helping them to recognise worry, manage difficulties and cope with exams, developing a more mindful awareness also helps young people to appreciate what is going well and to flourish
CONCENTRATION AND COGNITION
Mindfulness trains us to understand and direct our attention with greater awareness and skill. This may improve the capacity of children to concentrate and be less distracted, as well as their working memory and ability to plan.
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Mindfulness is often taught in the context of PSHE or as part of a positive education programme. It helps to develop a greater awareness of relationships and how to manage them, as well as offering a richer understanding of things like self-esteem and optimism.
INCREASED RESILIENCE
A study published in the journal "Developmental Psychology" in 2015 reported that students who participated in mindfulness programs demonstrated better emotional control and coping strategies, indicating a positive impact on their resilience development.
BEHAVIOUR
Mindfulness may help young people to self-regulate more effectively, manage impulsivity and reduce conflict and oppositional behaviour.
FOR TEACHERS AND STAFF
Mindfulness is not just about children and young people; the benefits of mindfulness in the adult world are well-researched and the positive benefits it can have on teachers and school staff include stress regulation and reduction, increased self compassion and increased teaching efficacy.
If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.
- THE DALAI LAMA
Mindfulness - a whole school approach
Mindfulness for
11-18 year olds
For young adults in KS3 I offer a lively and interactive 10-week programme designed to introduce age-related mindfulness practices, where young people learn more about the brain and how to incorporate mindfulness into their lives
KS3
Mindfulness for
school staff
I provide courses and workshops for adults working in educational contexts. These can be tailored to the educational setting and include some of the fun and interactive elements of the mindfulness for young people courses.
STAFF
I really love the breathing techniques we practice, they help me feel calm
- SAFFRON, AGE 7
Frequently Asked Questions