Mindful Mornings or soft starts, reduce student stress and anxiety and increase student motivation and productivity. A slow start to the day can set the tone and help create an environment that helps students feel safe and supported. Mindful mornings help foster a student’s sense of belonging, in turn, building positive relationships among peers. Students engage in activities, learn to self-regulate their emotions and develop valuable skills such as self-awareness and self-reflection, setting the stage for a productive and focused learning experience throughout the day. Here I have created a short video highlighting the benefits of mindful mornings and ways in which you could incorporate into your classroom.
Strong emotional development in childhood is crucial to laying a good foundation for mental health and emotional stability as an adult. Stress, poverty, lack of food security and social connections in the early years interrupt children’s physical, social, spiritual and mental development. The symptoms often appear before school even starts.
Unicef Canada
Youth mental health concerns is on the rise. Creating a safe environment for students to get their thoughts organized is not only better for the students, but better for the class as a whole. Many students have concerns that contribute to their daily stresses and occur before the day has even began. Creating a safe place for students to gather their thoughts and learn to regulate their feelings and emotions, will help to create a more productive working environment for all students, as well as yourself as the teacher. Throughout my inquiry project, I listed a few activities that can help create a mindful morning. The possibilities for activities are endless and can be adapted to any grade level K-12. Many of the activities I included were intended as the first activity of the day, but may be adapted as a mental break throughout the day.
Social Awareness and Responsibility involves the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of connections among people, including between people and the natural environment. Social Awareness and Responsibility focuses on interacting with others and the natural world in respectful and caring ways.
People who are socially aware and responsible contribute to the well-being of their social and physical environments. They support the development of welcoming and inclusive communities, where people feel safe and have a sense of belonging.
A socially aware and responsible individual contributes positively to their family, community, and environment; empathizes with others and appreciates their perspectives; resolves problems peacefully; and develops and sustains healthy relationships.
BC Curriculum
Social Awareness and Responsibility | Building Student Success – B.C. Curriculum (gov.bc.ca)
Socioemotional learning and mental health awareness are embedded throughout BC Curriculum in many curricular competencies such as Social Studies, PE, Career Education, Art Education, English Language Arts, as well as Core Competencies, especially Personal and Social Responsibilities as seen quoted above.
