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By the time students reach middle school, they are capable of self-reflection, critical thinking, and advanced problem solving. The trick is to use those skills before they take on their pre-teens, and equip them with important social skills to use during those stressful times and teenage mood swings.
Mindfulness is the act of focusing on yourself in the present moment and avoiding any feelings of judgment or anxiety as you process your feelings in the present. Include a middle school focus in your curriculum, no matter what subject you teach. You will find that student happiness increases rapidly, leading to student success and a peaceful classroom community that makes the school day enjoyable for everyone.
One minute of Mindfulness School Mindfulness
You don’t need hours of extra time in your week to incorporate mindfulness into middle school lessons and curriculum. All you need is one minute (known as the Mindful Minute) to improve your students’ mood for the day. Try these middle school SEL activities that make a big difference in a little time.
- Have a quiet reflection for the whole class on their day so far before starting the class.
- Check in after teaching difficult lessons or concepts to see how everyone feels.
- Play part of the song and have them write how it made them feel, including memories or mood swings.
- Encourage students to put their heads down and think quietly about how they feel at that moment, whether they are tired, happy, depressed, content, or some other emotion.
Set daily reminders for cognitive strategies
It’s one thing to teach mindfulness in middle school, and it’s another to access those strategies when students really need them. Have reminders of comprehension strategies in your classroom, whether it’s a bulletin board, daily affirmations, or advice from other students.
Psychological Bulletin Board or Counseling Bulletin Board
By: Kylie The Creative Social Worker
Grades: 4th-12th
Topics: School Counseling, School Psychology
Every teenager and teenager feels stressed from time to time. Guide them through those stressful feelings with an interactive bulletin board designed to display custom coping strategies for students to use.
Five Minute Cooldown Classroom Activities
If middle school students need more than one minute to reach the brain, you will need longer SEL activities. These activities can include meditation for middle school students to focus their thoughts, breathing exercises, light breaks, or any other five-minute practice that gets students thinking about themselves in the moment.
- Teach students breathing exercises they can do as a class before a big test or after a challenging lesson.
- Incorporate yoga breaks, both seated and out of the seats, into longer sessions.
- Pass out clay, dough, or stress balls for students to participate in when they complete a test or project.
- Add five minutes of independent study to your classroom schedule, no matter what subject you teach.
It ended up being calm reflection of middle school students
If you have five minutes of class warm-up, you have five minutes of meditation in middle school. Perfect for Mental Health Awareness Month or mindfulness practices during any time of the school year, these resources include many ways to promote mindfulness, emotional regulation, and brainstorming.
The Zen Zone Handbook: Meditation, Yoga, and Breathing Techniques for Students
By: The SuperHERO Teacher
Grades: 4th-12th
Topics: Classroom Society, All Subjects
You’re never too old to miss a brain! Allow middle school students to take a breather from their daily routines when you create a Zen Zone in your classroom to reduce stress and focus on mindfulness using yoga, breathing exercises, and other relaxation techniques. This comprehensive resource includes teacher and student guidelines, music, and student life challenges.
Meditation activity
By: Mrs. Recht’s Visual Classroom
Grades: 5th-7th
Subjects: ELL
“Middle school” and “meditation” don’t always seem to go together, but they do when you use this print-and-go resource to take students through a guided meditation for middle schoolers. Best used as a short activity in the daily schedule, the resource includes a slideshow in PowerPoint and video formats, an audio file for students to listen to, and a printable memory game.
One Period Classroom Lessons in Mindfulness and Gratitude
Use extended reflection for middle school activities such as one-day projects or assignments. These activities also make great back-to-school assignments for individuals or groups to complete, as they can establish mindfulness, gratitude, and healthy social emotional learning as important in your classroom.
- When assigning a CCSS-aligned writing project, have students write about a time when they felt strong at the time but later calmed down or changed their mind.
- Have the students write a letter to someone they feel grateful or thankful for (they don’t have to send letters, but they can).
- Encourage middle schoolers to write down one thing a day that they are grateful for, even small things like good weather or having a spare pencil in their purse.
- As you read, see if students can say what the character is thankful for, despite the character’s current circumstances.
Jump into gratitude in the junior high classes
When middle school students think about what they are grateful for, they are able to feel connected to the world around them and improve their thinking. Use resources to help students find those moments of gratitude in longer SEL units or as independent studies.
Gratitude Journal (reflection / SEL) information and mini-books
By: Teaching Kiddos with Mandy
Grades: 3-9
Topics: Literacy Education
Encourage middle schoolers to focus on the positive things in their lives with gratitude journals and little books. Students follow prompts to respond in writing or art, and create a larger gratitude journal that can lift their spirits on stressful days.
Year Long Growth Concepts and Cognitive Activities
A growth mindset is not just a teaching practice or a teaching strategy. A complete attitude change can lend itself to managing children’s emotions and minds in middle school, especially if students can identify their current achievements and how close they are to their developmental goals.
- Have students track progress toward personal goals (such as social goals or emotional goals), not just academic or skill-based milestones.
- Assign a writing assignment to middle school students to write a letter to their lower self, and describe how much they have changed in a short period of time.
- Include reflective measures in group projects, such as times when students mark their progress or rubric sections marking project contributions.
- Ask students to complete growth mindset and mindset exit tickets with questions like “What did you learn today?” or “What are you looking forward to all day?”
Connect mind and brain development throughout the year
Students who struggle with thinking and self-control will benefit from adjusting their attitudes toward cognitive development. They will learn more about themselves and strengthen self-reflection skills as they work towards their goal, and soon they will be more aware of their thoughts and feelings in the moment.
Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Lessons Activities for SEL and self-discipline
By: Queen’s Education Resources
Grades: 6th-12th
Topics: Social emotional learning
Can your students see how much they have grown over the course of the year, or do they have a strong mindset? Help them monitor their growth with a resource that includes teacher directions, visuals, a full lesson plan, and everything else you’ll need for this important task.
Make rational decisions easy for middle school students
Although teaching mindfulness in middle school may sound challenging, it is more straightforward than it seems. High-quality, well-designed middle school thinking resources are the perfect way to integrate these skills and values into a curriculum designed for youth who face a range of biological, social, and academic challenges. For older students or logical ideas, try thinking activities for high school students.
