Moments of mindfulness: exploring pupils’ perspectives on short daily mindfulness activities and their potential effects on the classroom learning environment

Abstract

This small-scale case study explores the perspectives of Year 4 pupils on doing a daily mindfulness activity in the classroom and whether there were any perceived benefits to doing this over a 4-week period. Initially participants completed a questionnaire to indicate their understanding of mindfulness and provide a brief summary of mental wellbeing. A separate post-questionnaire with pupils and teachers, alongside a focus-group discussion, afforded an understanding of the observed benefits and pupils’ perspectives towards the intervention. Findings appeared to suggest that mindfulness activities can be beneficial in the classroom, particularly for reorienting pupils after a breaktime in preparation for learning. Furthermore, these activities are largely well received by pupils with high levels of enjoyment and desire to continue the activity post-intervention.