Why Mindfulness For Primary School Students?

Welcome teachers and practitioners, and thank you for accessing our resources.

 

My name is Isabelle Mary Fitzgerald, I am a mum of 2 children.  I personally have been meditating for 20 years and have been practising mindfulness for 11 years. Mindfulness and Meditation have changed my life on such a deep level, it has also changed my family’s life and is now changing the lives of parents and kids in the community around us.

 

Like a lot of children, I suffered low self-esteem and low self-image issues. My parents had the best intentions, but unfortunately, my father didn’t know how to communicate with me in the most positive way. Being young I took all his negative comments to heart.

 

In my early 20’s I began struggling with anxiety. Discovering MEDITATION really helped me manage a lot of my issues. But it was discovering MINDFULNESS that truly made a significant impact on my mental health and helped me become who I am today.

 

I often wonder how different my life would have been if I had learnt more about Mindfulness when I was young. Imagine if I had learnt these amazing tools when I was a primary school student, would I have struggled the way that I did as a young adult?

 

This is why I teach Mindfulness and Meditation to children today. - Isabelle Mary Fitzgerald

 

My personal experience.

 

"Term 1, 2016 my son River was accepted into the opportunity class at Mona Vale Primary School and started suffering anxiety, just before his Year 5 school camp. His anxiety caused shallow breathing and started causing serious trouble with his sleeping. River stopped going to his dance classes and didn’t want to go to school. As a parent his struggle was heartbreaking. I decided to introduce River to Guided Meditation, as well as Mindfulness. River learned to observe his thoughts, and, with breathing techniques was able to calm himself at night to sleep."

 

 

"Thankfully, with the help of River’s school counsellor, who understood Mindfulness, and his caring teacher, River conquered his fears, had a great experience at school camp. River went on to become a school prefect at Mona Vale Public School in year 6 as well as accept an offer to attend Manly Select."

 

What I went through as a parent is not uncommon, why?

 

Many experts are now saying we have created an unrealistic environment for our children. Academic Pressure, Electronic Devices, Cyber Bullying, Stress, Worry, Anxiety and Insomnia are just a few of the alarming words that are now commonplace in our children lives. Read More

 

 

How common are mental health issues with kids?

 

Unfortunately, as we speak mental health issues with kids are on the increase. Kids are starting to suffer from anxiety and depression at a younger and younger age.

 

“Just a few decades ago the average onset age of depression was 29.5 years old. Today it is almost exactly half that: 14.5 years old.” - Source: Shawn Achor, Harvard University

 

"Worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders. Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s" - Source: World Health Organisation.

 

What do the facts say?

 

One in six children and adolescents aged between 4 and 17 years will experience a mental health disorder in any given year.

 

• Early intervention programs and a focus on younger people is important as research suggests that 50% of mental health conditions emerge between the ages of 4 and 14, so it is vital to intervene and create positive habits as early as possible

• Only one out of every four young persons with mental health problems receives professional health care.

• Even among young people with the most severe mental health problems, only 50 per cent receive professional help. Parents often report that help is too expensive, they didn’t know where to get it, or they felt there was a stigma attached to a Child Psychologist or Psychiatrist as well as risks with prescribed medication. 

 

It is now well known that mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are an indicator for poor academic results, anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol abuse, unemployment and self-harm later in life.

 

Australian case study

• The number of deaths by suicide in young Australians is the highest it has been in 10 years

• Suicide is now the biggest killer of young Australians and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents.

 Source: Beyond Blue

• Mental Health Conditions In Children
• Stats and Facts 

 

Why teach Mindfulness and Meditation to primary school students?

 

Science shows a child's mental health and emotional well-being improves with mindfulness practice providing the best preparation for the stress and anxiety of high school, university and young adulthood.

 

In the last few years, Mindfulness and Meditation have emerged as an effective way to teach children resilience, awareness and self-belief and how to manage a range of emotional challenges in their day to day lives.

Helping children relax and focus better so that they can concentrate and memorise more effectively at school, as well as still their minds and breathe correctly to assist with sleep, worry and unhelpful thoughts, leading to a happier state of mind and a more fulfilling life.

 

Video: What is Mindfulness?

 

 

Video: The science behind Mindfulness and Meditation?  

 

So exactly what is it about Mindfulness and Meditation? Read more.

 

• Research finds that mindfulness and meditation training in the classroom improved the children’s attention and reduced problems such as fearfulness, withdrawal from social groups, anxiety and depression, improving their psychological well-being. Read more

• Mindfulness is likely to have beneficial effects on the emotional wellbeing,   mental health,  ability to learn and the physical health of school students. Mindfulness can also have an impact fairly quickly and can be fun to introduce. Read more

• Be prepared, 8 weeks of meditation actually changes the brain. Meditation doesn't just help kids feel relaxed; neuroscience suggests that it actually changes the structure and function of the brain which will help kids cope with stress. Read more

 

People who practise Mindfulness now have BETTER mental health than 70% of the population on average.” Dr Craig Hassad, Monash University 

 

My personal experience with children in my classes?

 

Piper

• Problems include: High anxiety, meltdowns, low body image 
• Results: After 2 terms, almost zero meltdowns, loves meditation, less anxious, improved self-esteem.

 

Ellie

• Problems include: High anxiety, phobia of spiders, fear the worst in most situations, worrier
• Results: After 1 year, much less anxious, more positive, less reactive and fearful, meditating regularly

 

Luveena

• Problems include: Suffers anxiety, regular meltdowns, self-harm.
• Results: After 3 terms, far less anxious, calmer, more grounded, fewer meltdowns

 

Marlee

• Problems include: ADHD, anxious, restless, poor concentration, difficulty making friends.
• Results: Improved concentration in the classroom, calmer and more centred, teachers see a big difference. Marlee missed this term but keeps telling his Mum he is missing his My Peaceful Universe Classes and is returning next term.

 

 

Goals For Our Mindfulness Program

 

Early Intervention.

• You’re probably familiar with the term ‘early intervention’. Which means taking action as early as possible to support a child’s physical, mental and emotional needs. Research has shown that dealing with a child's mental health as soon as possible can be hugely beneficial in later life.  

 

Mindfulness is Science-Based.

• Mindfulness is an evidence-based approach that helps kids recognise anxious feelings and the physical symptoms, clarify their thoughts in anxiety-provoking situations, and develop better coping mechanisms and resilience.

 

Accessible Resources For A Year

• Mindfulness and Meditation are like any other skills — they improve with practice, so the earlier you start the better! And the best part? Once children have learned these skills, they’ll have them for life. 

 

Flexible Pedagogical Program

• We don't want teachers and children losing interest in Mindfulness. This is why we encourage a pedagogical approach where every teacher sets their own tone, time and place in which to communicate mindfulness and meditation, finding creative ways to teach their own students.

 

Reduce Stress In Teachers.

• It is not only our goal to see improvements in students mental health and, but it is also our goal to see improvements in our teacher wellbeing, self-care and teaching effectiveness creating a healthier and more positive teacher-student relationship and school environment. 

 

Free Meditations For Students.

• To help support families, teachers and practitioners, we have put together a small collection of our most loved meditations and breathing exercises for kids, now available to stream at home, online for FREE!