How we run Wellbeing Groups in the Classroom

Often in the classroom we feel consumed and rushed to deliver educational content and meet curriculum outcomes. Although this is our primary focus as teachers, we also need to ensure we are catering for our student’s wellbeing.

In Australia we follow The Australian Student Wellbeing Framework which supports Australian schools to provide every student with the strongest foundation possible for them to reach their aspirations in learning and in life.

At Wholehearted we place a huge importance on student wellbeing and practising mindfulness on a daily basis. In our classrooms, Rach and I ensure we make time for Wellbeing activities every day to allow students to observe Mindfulness, explore gratitude and resilience, engage in growth mindset activities and practise yoga.

Just like Literacy Groups or Maths Rotations, we like to run Wellbeing Groups in the classroom which usually run for 10-15 minutes. We have 5 wellbeing activities set for the week and each group will have the chance to complete every activity on one day of the week. This might not be possible in other classrooms and sometimes we need to skip a day but we make it work by using our Wellbeing Weekly Flow.

The Wellbeing Weekly Flow poster shows five different wellbeing activity areas that the students will move through in their groups. We like to change the groups each week so students have the opportunity to engage with different students in the class. We write the names of students in whiteboard marker on the Grouping poster and then show which group is doing which activity on the Wellbeing Weekly Flow.

We provide opportunities for students to participate in activities in various wellbeing areas- mindfulness/meditation, gratitude, positive or growth mindset, physical wellbeing and resilience.

Mindfulness/ Meditation

There are great apps out there which guide students on short meditations. This allows students to shift their mind and thinking to the present and be mindful of their bodies. We use the Smiling Mind app and website in our classrooms. Students can put headphones on and complete a mediation which focuses on breathing and visualisation.

We also do various breathing exercises which allows students to calm and be present in that moment. Our Breathing Boards are great for younger students to use for these exercises. 

Gratitude

We believe children should practise gratitude often in order to develop happy and healthy minds. A positive mindset is so important for students to achieve success and satisfaction at school. We use various Affirmation and Gratitude Cards to allow students to think, write and have conversations about simple things they feel grateful for.

We also integrate quality literature that explore themes of gratitude, empathy, kindness and self love. Students can engage in Speaking and Listening activities, drawing, visualisation and Kindness Challenges.

Growth Mindset

Children with a growth mindset are able to see challenges as opportunities to grow. In our classroom we don’t want students to be scared of making mistakes and we want them to embrace misunderstandings in order to learn and grow. We use Growth Mindset Cards in the classroom which allow students to develop positive thinking and self-confidence. There are multiple ways to use these cards where students can have conversations and play games to foster this.

Physical Wellbeing

As well as multiple quick Brain Breaks which involve body movement, we like to incorporate yoga practice into the classroom. Sometime we will do some single poses as a whole class or students can participate in a salutation individually or in a small group. Yoga allows for physical flexibility as well as a healthy mind.

Resilience

Building resilience in children is so important. It enables them to cope with disappointment, move on from a difficult situation and grow and develop to face life’s challenges. To do this in the classroom we allow students to make mistakes and learn lessons from these mistakes. We use quality literature and short videos with themes of resilience and perseverance to build innate strength.

 Find the resources featured in this post under WELLBEING on the website.