Mindfulness Techniques

Overview

This is lesson 6 of 10 in Building Resilience Together. Students practise a short mindfulness exercise, compare different ways to participate, and identify how mindfulness may support emotional regulation, focus and resilience. The lesson builds on prior learning about strategies that promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

Learning intentions

• WALT (We Are Learning To) practise mindfulness to build resilience.
• Students will explore guided, musical and silent mindfulness options.
• Students will identify how a mindfulness strategy may influence mood, focus or wellbeing.
• Students will design a simple personal mindfulness routine.

Success criteria

• I can participate respectfully in a guided mindfulness exercise.
• I can choose a mindfulness option that helps me feel settled or focused.
• I can describe one possible benefit of mindfulness.
• I can create a realistic personal mindfulness routine.

Curriculum links

• Health and Physical Education — planning and implementing strategies that enhance mental health and wellbeing.
• Health and Physical Education — designing and justifying strategies to increase physical activity and achieve health and wellbeing outcomes, including emotional wellbeing.
• Auslan — engaging in respectful visual exchanges with peers to organise activities and provide feedback, where relevant to the class context.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Welcome and hook. Teacher opens the mindfulness hook and learning intention slides, explains that mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment without judging thoughts, and asks, “When might a calm, focused mind help us cope with a challenge?” Students silently consider the question, then share one idea with a partner or contribute through signing, speaking or writing.

2. 4–8 min · Prepare to participate. Teacher establishes safe participation expectations: students may sit, stand or lie down; eyes may be open or closed; and students may pause or opt out quietly. Teacher models the simple sequence on the participation expectations slide: notice posture, notice breathing, notice one sound, and return attention when the mind wanders. Students choose a comfortable position and practise the sequence for one minute.

3. 8–15 min · Guided mindfulness. Teacher uses the guided breathing and body-awareness slides to lead a slow exercise: notice feet or hands, breathe naturally, notice the movement of the body, listen for nearby and distant sounds, and gently return attention to the present. Students follow the guidance without needing to change their breathing or share personal information.

4. 15–21 min · Choice practice. Teacher offers three equivalent options shown on the three-option practice slide: a teacher-guided breathing exercise, quiet instrumental music, or silence; the teacher sets a timer for three minutes and observes without interrupting. Students select one option, practise respectfully, and record or remember one observation about their attention, body or mood.

5. 21–26 min · Reflect and plan. Teacher displays the reflection and personal routine prompts and distributes the mindfulness reflection and routine worksheet. Students respond to brief prompts: “What did you notice?”, “Which option suited you today?”, and “How could mindfulness help during a stressful moment?” They then plan a routine including when, where, how long and which technique they will use.

6. 26–30 min · Share and exit check. Teacher invites each student to share one strategy or pass, then uses the review and exit prompt slide to revisit the learning intention and success criteria. Students complete a Success Criteria Exit Ticket Slip, ticking the criteria they met and writing one mindfulness strategy they could try this week.

Resources

• the mindfulness hook, instruction and reflection slide deck
• the mindfulness reflection and routine worksheet
• Success Criteria Exit Ticket Slips
• Timer or projected classroom timer
• Optional quiet instrumental music and speaker
• Calm, uncluttered classroom space
• Pens or pencils
• Accessible seating options

Assessment

• Observe whether students can follow the mindfulness sequence, maintain respectful participation and return attention after distraction.
• Confer briefly during the worksheet task: ask students to explain how their chosen strategy might support focus, mood or coping.
• Use the exit ticket to check participation, understanding of a possible wellbeing benefit and the realism of each personal routine.

Differentiation

• Provide simple, dyslexia-friendly instructions one step at a time, supported by icons and demonstrations on the slides. Read all worksheet prompts aloud and allow students to dictate, draw or use key words instead of writing full sentences.
• Offer guided, music or silence options, as well as eyes-open participation, movement breaks and a quiet observation role. Reinforce that mindfulness is an invitation, not a test, and avoid requiring students to discuss private feelings.
• Support planning with sentence starters: “I will practise…”, “I will do it when…”, “It may help me to…”. Pair students strategically for discussion, while accepting spoken, signed or written responses.
• For extension, students create a more detailed personal mindfulness routine with a beginning cue, a two- to five-minute technique, a way to monitor its effect and an adjustment they could make if the first plan is not useful.