Millions of children expected to take part in world’s biggest mindfulness lesson

Millions of children expected to take part in world’s biggest mindfulness lesson tomorrow (Friday 10th May)

Two thirds (66%) of parents say their primary school-age children regularly feel anxious about school work, not fitting in and friendships. And almost a third (30 percent) of the parents who took part in the research said that having their child learn to manage their anxiety is now more important than school work, with 63 percent saying it is just as important.

According to the poll of 1,049 primary school parents and 777 primary school teachers, teachers are also increasingly concerned about pupils’ mental wellbeing. More than three quarters (77%) of teacher said that their students have experienced anxiety about school life, while nine in ten (92%) believe that mindfulness is vitally important to their students’ growth.

Sixty (60) percent of the teachers polled said that their school did not yet have a mindfulness programme in place at their school, and 70 percent of that group would like to see one introduced.

The findings also showed that over half (56 percent) of parents say that they now practise calming techniques such as mindfulness with their children at home to lessen daily stresses.

The study also found that those parents who practise mindfulness with their child say that their children are now better at handling emotions (64 percent), calmer (43 percent), more focused (39 percent) and more empathetic towards the needs of others (33 percent).

Only a minority of parents (15 percent) say their children’s school has a mindfulness programme. But of those who say one isn’t available, an overwhelming number (93 percent) believe their children’s wellbeing would benefit if it was.

The research was commissioned by ClassDojo to accompany the launch of new global initiative A Mindful Moment, which will see students from across the world set aside 30 minutes tomorrow [Friday, 10th May] at 11am to take part in a range of mindful activities, learn relaxation techniques and breathing exercises, and raise money for mental health charities.

Organised by school communications app ClassDojo, A Mindful Moment, will start at 11am (AEDT) in Australia and finish 20 hours later at 11am (HST) in Hawaii. UK schools will take part at the halfway stage of theMindful Moment’s journey across the globe. The initiative was conceived to encourage large numbers of teachers and students to experience first-hand the benefits of mindfulness, in the hope of establishing the practice as an integral part of the school day.

In the UK students will be collecting for Beyond Shame Beyond Stigma, a new charity created by the campaigner Jonny Benjamin MBE. The charity raises funds for local initiatives across the country that provide educational and therapeutic programmes, including mindfulness, for young people, their families, and their educators.

A Mindful Moment will be especially timely for one specific year group of primary school children. More than 600,000 10 and 11-year-olds will take the SATS tests in reading, maths and spelling, punctuation and grammar next week (13 – 16 May). Last year a YouGov poll of parents found that nearly half (48 percent) said their child was anxious about taking SATS.

And according to a separate poll by the National Education Union (NEU), more than four in five (81%) of primary school staff have seen a rise in student mental health problems in two years. Signs of mental health problems amongst primary school age children include anxiety, panic attacks and depression.

Mindfulness is known to promote good mental wellbeing and help children cope with difficulties whilst also encouraging them to better manage the academic demands placed on them. In February, Education Secretary Damian Hinds announced one of the world’s largest school trials of mental health and wellbeing.