What’s in Your Mindfulness Backpack?

Students use the minibook to dig deep into their feelings. The minibook prompts the students to think about different emotions and how they individually cope with big emotions. A great first week of school activity that will have your students thinking about their emotions and how they are coping. As well as remind themselves of different coping strategies they already know about themselves. 

Printable Mindful Activities and Mindfulness Worksheets to Begin the School Year

Fold and put together the My Mindfulness Mini Book. Students are to answer every question in the mindfulness mini-book and follow each direction on how to colour each item to pack in the backpack. Cut out each item after finishing answering each question and colouring each item. Cut out the backpack and the pocket. Staple or glue the pocket onto the backpack leaving the top half open. Stick each item into the pocket of the backpack.

Why Do We Teach Mindfulness to Children?

Studies have shown that practising mindfulness has been shown to improve attention and reduce stress, as well as increase one’s ability to regulate emotions and feel compassion and empathy.

✂️ Give Them the (Safety) Scissors 

This template makes for a bonus cutting skills activity, depending on your students’ ages and abilities. 

With adult supervision, cutting skills help students work multiple muscle groups and their brains, plus:

• strengthen finger and hand muscles
• build dexterity and fine motor skills
• improve hand-eye coordination
• develop focus and attention.

And all of these skills are necessary to use a pencil and a fork; button a shirt and tie shoes; write, type and swipe.

Scissor skills are brain and muscle skills! 

This resource was created by Lisamarie Del Valle, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator.