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High school students often find themselves juggling academic workloads, social pressures, and personal challenges, all of which can lead to heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Unlike the tangible weight of backpacks filled with books, these emotional burdens can be far more challenging to set down. To help students navigate their feelings and develop effective emotional regulation, mindfulness practices can serve as essential tools.
Mindfulness, at its core, involves concentrating on the present moment and tuning into the physical sensations that accompany emotions. This article presents a variety of mindfulness activities tailored for high school students, including meditation scripts, breathing exercises, and reflective writing prompts. These activities aim to facilitate a deeper connection with their emotions and lighten their emotional loads as they transition between classes.
Quick Mindfulness Activities for Task Transitions
Transitioning from one task to another can often be disorienting for students, especially in the brief moments between classes. Introducing short social-emotional learning (SEL) breaks can help students regain focus and remain aware of their feelings and surroundings.
- Body Scan: Encourage students to conduct brief internal body scans to identify where they may be holding tension or anxiety in their bodies.
- Breathing Break: If students appear tense or stressed, guide them through a few moments of deliberate, slow breathing to help alleviate their stress.
- Yoga Minute: Incorporate simple yoga poses—such as seated cat-cow or standing stretches—to help students release hidden tension and promote relaxation.
- Reflect on Previous Activities: Prompt an open-class discussion on students’ feelings regarding the last lesson, allowing them to express whether it felt manageable or overwhelming.
Give Students a Moment to Breathe and Re-center
The most effective mindfulness activities are those that are quick and simple to implement. Utilize these resources to help students listen to their bodies and regain their composure in just a few moments.
Mindfulness Exercises: Mindfulness Mandalas and Task Cards Activity Pack
By Kiddie Matters
Grades: 5th-10th
Subject: School Counseling, School Psychology
This collection of mindfulness mantras and task cards equips students to stay aware of their surroundings and enhance their self-awareness. Through breathing exercises and environmental focus activities, students can engage creatively while remaining grounded and self-regulating.
Brain Break Activity for After Test – SEL or Mindfulness Middle or High School
By Innovative English Instruction
Grades: 6th-12th
These mindfulness activities provide a calming outlet for students after tests, featuring relaxing coloring projects, sudoku puzzles, and doodling prompts—all designed to help students unwind without disturbing their peers.
Mindfulness Writing Activities for High Schoolers
For many students, writing serves as an effective medium for connecting with their emotions. Implementing daily SEL writing prompts or reflective essays can enhance their emotional awareness in any classroom setting.
- Stress Journal: Encourage students to track their stress levels throughout the week, identifying patterns such as heightened anxiety on Mondays or during exam periods.
- SEL Check-in Prompts: Begin class with a five-minute reflection where students can jot down their feelings, allowing them to clear their minds before diving into the lesson.
- Sensory Poetry: Take students outside to write poetry that captures their sensory experiences—what they see, hear, smell, and feel in relation to their current emotions.
- Growth Tracking: Encourage students to set personal goals for academic or social improvement and document their progress, fostering a growth mindset.
Help Students Write About Their Thoughts and Feelings
Guide students in distinguishing between thoughts and feelings. Use writing prompts that focus on the physical sensations of emotions, the impact of thoughts on stress, and strategies for calming their bodies during emotionally intense moments.
Mental Health & Mindfulness Journal (A collaboration with @caffeinateandeducate)
By Donut Lovin’ Teacher
Grades: 5th-9th
Subject: Classroom Community, Social Emotional Learning
This resource helps students identify their feelings, understand how their thoughts affect them, and recognize their body’s responses through a series of journal prompts and interactive activities.
Mindfulness Meditation Activities for Teens to Try
While some may view meditation as controversial in high school settings, it can be as straightforward as dedicating a few moments to center one’s mind and body. Teaching students the basics of meditation can enhance their mindfulness and alertness throughout the day.
- Start Class with a Meditation Minute: Begin class with a minute of silence for meditation, allowing students to relax and center themselves before engaging in academic tasks.
- Create a Meditation Playlist: Play calming music during classwork or reflection time to help students practice mindfulness.
- Utilize Guided Meditation Scripts: Provide guided scripts that encourage students to focus on their breath, body sensations, and their present environment.
- Quiet Negative Self-Talk: Discuss the impacts of negative self-talk and model strategies for observing thoughts without judgment.
Take a Meditation Break to Emotionally Regulate
With busy schedules, teens often overlook the need for quiet moments. Incorporate mindfulness activities to help them practice meditation and connect their bodily sensations with emotional awareness.
Mindfulness Meditation for Teens – Social Emotional Learning – Audio and Script
By Mondays Made Easy
Grades: 5th-12th
Subject: School Counseling, School Psychology
Standards: CCSS.SL7.1, 7.5, 7.6; SL.8.1, 8.5, 8.6; SL.9-10.5, 9-10.6
This resource, aligned with the CCSS, offers a seven-minute visualization meditation script designed to boost focus and self-awareness while reducing stress and anxiety. It includes audio recordings in various formats for student use.
Inspiring Mindfulness Improvements to the Classroom Environment
Mindfulness extends beyond personal practices; it encompasses a holistic awareness of one’s surroundings. In a high school setting, this includes managing distractions such as chaotic bulletin boards and noisy classmates. Use the physical classroom environment as a tool to promote calmness and emotional stability.
- Decorate with SEL Strategies: Enhance the classroom with visual reminders of breathing techniques, coping skills, and positive affirmations to keep mindfulness at the forefront of students’ minds.
- Incorporate Calming Colors: Opt for soothing color schemes—like blues and greens—over bright, stimulating colors to foster a peaceful and focused learning environment.
- Display Growth Mindset Mantras: Post affirmations that encourage resilience and personal growth, reminding students that each day contributes to their overall development.
Adorn Your Classroom with Positive Affirmations
To cultivate a positive atmosphere, hang affirmations in the classroom. These messages can influence students’ internal dialogues, reinforcing a supportive and encouraging learning environment.
Mindfulness Bulletin Board Affirmations Card FREEBIE!
By Counselor Clique
Grades: 6th-12th
Subject: Health, School Counseling, School Psychology
This bulletin board resource is ideal for classrooms and hallways, emphasizing the significance of self-care and fostering a growth mindset. It includes a free list of affirmations to help students practice positive self-talk and a complete kit with coping strategies, stress management tools, and mindfulness practices.
Benefits of Everyday Mindfulness for Teens
Mindfulness is a life skill that students can carry with them long after they leave school. The regular incorporation of these activities can significantly enhance students’ emotional and mental well-being. The short-term and long-term benefits of mindfulness practices in high school include:
- Alignment with the National Health Education Standards by promoting mental health awareness and goal-setting.
- Enhanced focus and attention in class, leading to improved skill retention and academic performance.
- Reduced stress levels across various aspects of life, including academic and personal challenges.
- Strengthened executive functioning and study skills.
- Improved emotional regulation and decision-making.
- Deeper connections with peers and family members.
Additionally, fostering mindfulness supports a cohesive classroom community. As students develop a better understanding of their emotions, they can empathize more effectively with their peers, resulting in fewer conflicts and a more harmonious classroom environment.
Staying Mindful Before, During, and After Class
Integrating mindfulness activities into high school curricula need not consume additional instructional time. In fact, a mindfulness-focused class can lead to more efficient lessons with fewer distractions, enhancing overall learning outcomes.
Look for ways to embed more SEL activities within your curriculum, such as emotional vocabulary lessons and team-building exercises. Additionally, consider incorporating more high school mindfulness resources to help students navigate stressful periods, conduct regular check-ins, and support those whose anxiety may hinder their enjoyment of these pivotal teenage years.
