Mindfulness for Students: A Curriculum for Grades 3-8

What if you walked into your classroom to find a room full of students who were working cooperatively with one another, focusing on the day’s lesson, and able to regulate their own thoughts and feelings? Learn how to teach mindfulness strategies to your elementary and middle school students to provide a foundation for social-emotional well-being and academic engagement. Based on research and designed to complement any school setting, no matter how busy, the practices in this book will create the groundwork for a positive and productive learning environment. The curriculum covers these five key mindfulness practices:

• Breath awareness
• Body awareness
• Focusing on gratitude
• Kindness toward self and others
• Open awareness

Each chapter includes a detailed lesson plan with suggested wording, as well as support materials (e.g., journal templates, activity sheets, and infographics). These tools, as well as audio recordings of the practices, are also available on our website as free eResources for classroom use (www.routledge.com/9781138586550).

Wendy Fuchs, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she is the Program Director of the Undergraduate Special Education program. She has notable experience working with educators to implement mindfulness practices in school settings, as well as teaching mindfulness and yoga to children and adults outside of schools. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) and has extensive training in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, as well as ongoing training and practice in vipassana (insight) and metta (loving-kindness) meditation.