Lesson

How to Be Mindful at Home

Help kids learn how to practice mindfulness at home.

Objectives

  • Describe ways to be mindful at home.

Info to Know

The lessons in this unit help kids understand and practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is to purposefully pay attention to your breathing, feelings, senses, or actions in the present moment. When a child is mindful, they increase their ability to regulate emotions, manage stress, and self-motivate. You can vary the ways your students practice being mindful each day. Some of the many fit resources available for daily mindfulness practice include:

Set The Stage

Explain to students that they can use their breath to overcome frustration. Model the figure-8 breathing. Trace a figure-8 in the air, inhaling on one side, then exhaling as you move to the other side. Repeat several times.

To use this with your students click here.

Captivate

Mindful at Home

Use the slideshow to guide a class discussion about times students feel frustrated, both at school and at home.

At school it may be trying to do something new and not succeeding. At home it might be when they are told it’s their bedtime and they want to finish what they are doing.

Educate

How to Be Mindful at Home

Explain to students that they can be mindful throughout their day—at both school and home! For example, they can use their senses when trying a new food, do mindful breathing to relax or calm down, or a tense and relax exercise when they want to relax or can’t fall asleep.

Check for Understanding: What can you do to be mindful at home?(Students give examples of purposefully paying attention to breathing, feelings, senses, or actions in the present moment.)

Activate

Making Mindful Choices at Home

Encourage students to take a set of Mindful Moments cards home and practice mindful activities.

Close the Lesson

Students turn to a partner and talk about when and where they will practice being mindful by choosing a Mindful Moment card.

Grade: 3-5

Time: 20 Minutes

What You'll Need

Health Education Standards

  • Standard 1: Core Concepts–Promote Mental and Emotional Health
  • Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication
  • Standard 5: Decision-Making
  • Standard 7: Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors

 

Social and Emotional Learning Competencies

  • Self-Awareness
  • Self-Management
  • Responsible Decision-Making

Extend the Lesson

  • Play Greetings from the fitGames series for kids to practice ways to be mindful when greeting one another.
  • Read about Breathing Techniques to help your students relax and become more mindful of their choices.
  • Read about how you can help kids be more mindful of their choices with the cue "Think fit. Be fit!"

View the fit Units and Lessons Scope and Sequence Chart.

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