Mindfulness changes children's behaviour in Tauranga classrooms

Otumoetai Primary School pupils Marlow Tangata, 7 (left), Elsie Bell, 8, and Mackenzie Hetherington practising mindfulness. Photo / George Novak

The world is a busy place to grow up in for today's children. Phones, the internet and social media have made it difficult for anyone to just stop for a moment. To counter that, some schools across the city have adopted mindfulness, a practice that does just that. It is making a world of difference for a number of students when it comes to mental health, stress and anxiety. Reporter Caroline Fleming spoke to some local principals to see what all the fuss is about.

Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing.

This simple action for up to eight minutes a day is changing the mindset of hundreds of Tauranga children in their classrooms.

It is referred to as practising mindfulness and is revolutionising stress, anger and behavioural management in a number of Tauranga schools.

Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness of the present moment and is used as a therapeutic technique.

The practice involves sitting, usually with the eyes closed, and focusing attention on one thing, usually either breathing or the sensations experienced within a person's body.

Otumoetai Primary School principal Zara McIndoe said the school had adopted mindfulness in the classroom to improve overall student wellbeing.

She said there was no point zoning in on student achievement if the children were not in a happy headspace.

The world was such a "busy place" for young children with the rise of technology and it was important to ground them and slow down their minds as much as possible, she said.

A number of principals made the trip to Melbourne earlier this year to learn about the app Smiling Mind, which is free and could be used to practise mindfulness in schools.

Many of the schools in the Otumoetai Community of Learning cluster had adopted the practice into the classroom and were planning on using a wellbeing survey during two years to measure its success.

The sessions on the app run between three and eight minutes, age dependent, and teachers have reported seeing results.

Children's stress and anger levels were noticeably lower, which made a good environment for learning, McIndoe said.

According to the Smiling Mind website, the mindfulness in schools programme aimed to increase mental wellbeing, create calm classrooms and improve concentration, focus and resilience.

This idea of improving focus was one that Matua School principal Craig Wallis said was a key factor in the decision to implement it into his school, as well as helping regulate pupils' emotions.

He said his teachers had noticed a difference and it had the potential to become a fundamental learning block for the overall wellness of children.

However, Wallis said it was not a "cure-all" and it needed to be combined with good sleep patterns, exercise and nutrition.

Tauranga Primary School principal Fiona Hawes said the school started using mindfulness back in 2015 as a tool for children to manage anxiety and stress.

She said she had received positive comments from both parents and children and it had been highlighted as a top method in helping them stay calm.

Otumoetai Primary School pupils are among many others in the community who practice mindfulness in the classroom. Photo / George Novak

Victoria University of Wellington faculty of education Associate Professor Joanna Higgins said she conducted a year-long study last year on mindfulness in the classroom and had since become an advocate for the practice with children.

She said it improved social and emotional wellbeing, as well as student behaviour.

Mindfulness allowed students to channel high energy levels that caused them to "fiddle" or "lose focus", she said.

Ministry of Education acting deputy secretary of early learning and student achievement Pauline Cleaver said mindfulness programmes could help students develop the skills to maintain and enhance their personal wellbeing and mental health.

The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa asked schools to help students develop competencies for mental wellness.