Teaching Mindfulness: A Guidebook for Teachers, Parents, Counselors, and Caregivers

Due to our fast-paced society, the impact of social media, and the threat of climate change, today’s children are facing challenges unique to their generation. Incorporating mindfulness as part of their curriculum–whether in a classroom or a home school setting–teaches invaluable life skills that children can apply to all aspects of learning, and later, through all stages of life.

Psychologist Amoneeta Beckstein and mindfulness educator and practitioner Jana York have pooled their knowledge and experience and teamed up to compile an eight-week curriculum with empirically-based exercises for integrating mindfulness in classrooms, as well as discussion questions for enhancing critical thinking skills.

The authors use vowels (including Y for You ) as a mnemonic device, with each vowel representing a lesson that helps students develop present-moment awareness: Attention, Experience, Investigate, Observe, and Understand. Forty engaging activities and games help children put into practice the concepts they learned. Teaching Mindfulness provides the essential core principles of mindfulness education and enriches both the teaching and learning experience.