Mindfulness Moments

Overview

Year Level: Year 0
Subject: Health
Unit: Understanding Our Feelings (Lesson 9 of 15)
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 25 students

Lesson Focus:
Introduce mindfulness exercises to support students in recognising and managing their feelings. Activities include listening to calming music and focusing on breathing, fostering emotional regulation and self-awareness in alignment with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh Health and Physical Education area.

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Curriculum Alignment

New Zealand Curriculum Refresh – Health and Physical Education (HPE)

• Strand: Personal wellbeing

• Learning Area: Emotional wellbeing

• Achievement Objectives:

  Students will:

  • Recognise and identify feelings and emotions (Year 0 focus)
  • Explore strategies to manage feelings (including mindfulness and calming techniques)
  • Develop self-awareness through noticing bodily sensations and emotional states
  • Build positive relationships through awareness of self and others

• Key Competencies:

  • Managing self (regulating emotions, participating confidently)
  • Relating to others (listening and sharing feelings respectfully)
  • Thinking (using language to explore and express emotions)

Supporting Points from Curriculum Refresh Documents

• Explicit teaching of vocabulary for feelings and self-regulation is vital for this age group.
• Safe, supportive environments encourage sharing emotions.
• Use of short, concrete activities appropriate for Year 0 students’ developmental stage.
• Linking mindfulness with awareness of physical sensations and calm focus supports emotional regulation and readiness to learn .

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Recognise the feeling of calm through mindfulness activities.
2. Practice simple mindfulness strategies such as listening attentively to calming sounds and focussing on breathing.
3. Use basic language to describe feelings experienced during these exercises.
4. Demonstrate the ability to participate quietly and respectfully in group mindfulness moments.

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Resources Needed

• Speaker or device to play calm, gentle music or nature sounds
• Visual cue cards depicting calm/relaxed faces and breathing
• Soft mats or cushions for sitting comfortably
• A simple story or guided mindfulness script appropriate for Year 0 language
• Timer or stopwatch (optional for timing activities)

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Lesson Plan Breakdown

Time	Activity	Details
0–5 mins	Welcome and Settling	Gather students in a comfortable circle on mats/cushions. Engage briefly with soft voice to set the tone for calmness. “Today we will learn how to feel calm by taking mindfulness moments.”
5–10 mins	Introduction to Feelings Vocabulary	Show simple visual cards of different feelings (happy, sad, calm). Teach and model the word “calm”. Briefly discuss what calm feels like (e.g., “When I am calm, my body feels still and my breath is slow.”). Use expressive face and body language to reinforce meaning.
10–20 mins	Mindfulness Breathing Exercise	Lead a very short breathing exercise: “Let’s breathe in slowly through our nose… and breathe out through our mouth…” Repeat 3–5 times with prompts and gentle pacing. Use visual cards showing breathing direction. Encourage students to notice their chest and tummy moving as they breathe.
20–30 mins	Listening to Calming Music/Nature Sounds	Play calming instrumental music or nature sounds for 3–5 minutes. Invite students to sit quietly and listen carefully. Afterwards, prompt them to describe how they felt (calm, happy, relaxed). Use sentence starters: “I felt…” or “My body felt…”
30–40 mins	Mindfulness Game: Spot the Feeling	In pairs or small groups, students share a time when they have felt calm or a strong feeling. Teacher facilitates simple sharing and helps students use language for feelings. Encourage listening and respectful responses.
40–45 mins	Reflection and Closing	Gather students again for a short reflection. Use a simple question: “How did our mindfulness moments help you feel?” Reinforce the idea that practising these can help us feel calm anytime. End with a calm group breathing minute to close the session.

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Assessment (Formative)

• Observations during activities:
  • Can students follow simple mindfulness instructions?
  • Do they demonstrate staying calm and focused for short periods?
  • Are students able to use words like “calm” or describe bodily sensations during breathing?
• Teacher questions during reflection for individual and group sharing.
• Anecdotal notes on participation and language used with feelings.

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Teaching and Learning Strategies

• Explicit teaching: Clear modelling of mindfulness behaviours and language.
• Scaffolding: Visual supports and sentence stems for expressing feelings.
• Positive reinforcement: Praise calm behaviours and respectful listening.
• Safe environment: Emphasise that feelings are OK and sharing is encouraged but optional.
• Age-appropriate pacing: Short, engaging activities suited to young attention spans.
• Linking with prior learning: Connect with previous lessons on feelings within the "Understanding Our Feelings" unit.

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Extensions and Integration Ideas

• Integrate mindfulness moments at various points in the school day to build routine.
• Use calming music or breathing exercises to support transitions or times of heightened emotion.
• Connect to literacy by reading simple picture books about feelings and mindfulness.
• Link with physical education through gentle stretching or yoga poses that accompany breathing.

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This lesson plan promotes early development of emotional regulation skills through mindful focus and self-awareness, serving as a foundation for wellbeing and learning within the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum's health framework for Year 0 students.

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If you would like, I can also provide specific teacher tips or scripts for guided mindfulness moments. Would that be helpful?