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Mindful Mornings: Starting the Day with Calm

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Lesson Plan

Mindful Mornings Lesson Plan

Guide K-5 students through a 30-minute morning routine that combines breathing, movement, and intention-setting to promote calm focus and positive classroom energy.

Starting the day with simple mindfulness routines helps children regulate emotions, improves attention, reduces stress, and fosters a supportive classroom environment.

Audience

Kindergarten–5th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Visuals, guided practice, movement, and sharing.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Welcome & Context

5 minutes

  • Invite students to sit quietly in a circle.
  • Introduce the concept of mindfulness: paying attention to our breath and body.
  • Show Slide 1 of the Morning Mindfulness Slide Deck to set the tone.

Step 2

Guided Breathing

7 minutes

  • Distribute the Mindful Breathing Activity Cards.
  • Demonstrate deep belly breathing: inhale through the nose (count to 4), exhale through the mouth (count to 4).
  • Guide students through 5 rounds, flipping a new card each time for visual cues.

Step 3

Mindful Movement

6 minutes

  • Transition to gentle stretches: reaching arms up, side bends, shoulder rolls.
  • Use slides 5–7 from the Morning Mindfulness Slide Deck.
  • Encourage students to move slowly and notice how their body feels.

Step 4

Intention Setting

6 minutes

  • Explain setting a personal intention for the day (e.g., "I will be kind").
  • Show Slide 8 with prompts and examples.
  • Have students quietly think or draw their intention on a slip of paper or in a journal.

Step 5

Gratitude & Closing

6 minutes

  • Invite volunteers to share one thing they’re grateful for or their intention aloud.
  • Reinforce positive energy: clap or use a gentle chime to close the circle.
  • Remind students they can revisit their intention throughout the day.
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Slide Deck

Mindful Mornings: Starting the Day with Calm

Welcome, friends! Let’s begin our day by noticing our breath, our bodies, and our intentions for a calm and happy day.

Greet students warmly and invite them to sit in a circle or semicircle. Explain that today we’re going to practice simple mindfulness exercises to start our day feeling calm and focused.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment—our breath, our body, and our feelings—without judging them.

Define mindfulness in kid-friendly terms. You might ask: “Have you ever really noticed how your breathing feels? That’s mindfulness!”

Guided Breathing

• Inhale through your nose for a count of 4
• Exhale through your mouth for a count of 4

Let’s repeat this 5 times, noticing how calm we feel.

Demonstrate belly breathing by placing one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Guide students through 5 slow breaths.

Using Breathing Cards

Flip a new card each time for fun images and prompts to guide our breath.
• Card 1: Flower Breath
• Card 2: Bubble Breath
• …

Show and hold up a Mindful Breathing Activity Card each round for visual cue. Encourage students to follow the card.

Gentle Movement

• Reach arms up overhead
• Lean side to side
• Roll shoulders forward and back

Move slowly and notice how your body feels.

Lead each movement slowly. Pause and allow students to notice their stretching sensations.

Set Your Intention

Think or draw something you want to focus on today, for example:
“I will be kind.”
“I will listen well.”

Explain that an intention is like a goal for our mind. Offer examples on the board or a chart.

Gratitude & Sharing

Who would like to share something they’re grateful for or their intention for today?

Invite several volunteers to share. Praise each student and reinforce a positive classroom vibe.

Have a Calm Day!

Great job today! Remember your breathing practice and your intention whenever you need a moment of calm.

Close with energy: a gentle chime, a class clap, or a deep final breath together. Remind students they can revisit these practices anytime.

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Activity

Mindful Breathing Activity Cards

These printable cards each feature a simple visual and prompt to guide students through five different breathing exercises. Teachers can shuffle the cards and flip one each round for a fun, engaging breathing practice.

Cards (5)

  1. Flower Breath

    • Visual: 🌸 (simple flower illustration)
    • Prompt: “Imagine you’re smelling a flower. Inhale slowly through your nose… exhale gently.”

  2. Bubble Breath

    • Visual: 🫧 (little bubble illustration)
    • Prompt: “Pretend you’re blowing bubbles. Inhale… exhale like you’re blowing a big bubble.”

  3. Candle Blow

    • Visual: 🕯️ (lit candle)
    • Prompt: “Think of a candle flame. Inhale deeply… exhale softly to keep the flame flickering.”

  4. Star Breath

    • Visual: ⭐ (star illustration)
    • Prompt: “Breathe in like you’re gathering starlight… breathe out to send the light across the sky.”

  5. Balloon Breath

    • Visual: 🎈 (balloon)
    • Prompt: “Pretend you’re inflating a balloon. Inhale big… exhale slowly to tie the knot.”


      ---
      Usage:
  • Print and cut out each card.
  • During Guided Breathing, shuffle the deck and reveal one card per round.
  • Encourage students to follow the visual and prompt as they breathe.

Return to Lesson Plan | View Slide Deck

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