8 Helpful Hints for using my Guided Meditations

Mindfulness is more than just a buzzword in today's world. And as a school counselor, I swear by it! There is an ample amount of scientific research to show us that mindfulness has a positive impact not just on academic performance but also on social skills, emotional self-regulation, stress management, confidence building, and overall well-being.

This is why I enjoy introducing mindfulness to my students at a young age and in different settings. Among the plethora of resources I have created on this topic, my 10 lesson set of Guided Meditations has received an overwhelming response from counselors who’ve purchased it off of my TpT store. It is these reviews that inspired this blog post and I thought it would be good to share a handful of them with you and to also suggest additional tips and tricks you could use when using this resource with your kiddos.

Counselor Feedback 1:

I am excited to try this resource out for a way to reduce test anxiety in my classroom.

A Helpful Hint: Mindfulness definitely brings down stress levels but instead of introducing students to the concept or practice of guided meditations only before testing season, it would be advisable to do a few test runs prior to D-Day. This gives you a chance to see how your students respond to this exercise, what you might need to tweak, etc.

Counselor Feedback 2:

My students LOVE these so much and I do too!! The destination theme is great and I love the variety. They are great for when you have some spare time or can be stretched out for longer periods of time.

A Helpful Hint: It is perfectly understandable if one cannot spend more than 3-5 minutes on a guided meditation. So it is perfectly okay to reduce the amount of time between one statement to another, yet giving your students 15-20 seconds to get focused on the statement you've just made. If there is a time crunch, and if you have a few minutes to go over the guided meditation before you step into the classroom, you could make note of the major points and reword it to suit the amount of time you have at hand.

Counselor Feedback 3:

2019 through early 2020 was a rough in-building year with my particular class. Recess was a horrible time for them and settling after they came in was crucial and almost impossible. I purchased this resource and began to use it immediately after coming into our room. It helped them to relax and refocus so we were able to spend the remainder of the afternoon learning.

A Helpful Hint: One of the best things about using a guided meditation script is that it can be used at any time of the day. While it's a great way to get kiddos settled after recess, I've resorted to using it between transitions within my class lesson and that has worked well too.

Counselor Feedback 4:

My students (and teachers) are loving these scripts. It is exciting to see which one the students will choose each time, thank you!

A Helpful Hint: Teachers are worn out and stressed too! I've used these guided meditation scripts at the start of team meetings with teachers. They also enjoy this exercise when I use it in my weekly Teacher Wellness Circle.

Counselor Feedback 5:

I just love these meditation scripts! It's a no prep, ready-to-go, awesome resource to help center kids and get their mind in a peaceful, calm, and ready-to-learn state! Thank you so much for a fabulous resource that you made available to educators all over. Without a doubt, it will be a highly valued addition to many counseling offices and classrooms! :) Thanks again!

A Helpful Hint: While this resource is usually used in the classroom, they are perfect to use with individual students and small groups too. I have this set printed out, laminated, and kept in the Calm Corner in my counseling office. They're an easy grab and go resource when I've had kiddos dealing with anxiety and stress sent to my office for support!

Counselor Feedback 6:

Great scripts. Better for kids with good self-control and attention spans so maybe not for such young grades. However, quality product to adapt as needed.

A Helpful Hint: Guided imagery/mindfulness can be used as a tool to enable children who struggle with self-control and focus/attention to eventually do better in these areas. It is not meant only for those kids who are already good at these skills. The key would be to start small/slow and give it time. Since guided meditations require us to use our imagination, children as young as first graders too are able to use their imagination and can learn mindfulness by linking images in their minds with their own feelings and experiences. If it helps, a visual could first be shown before going through the script. Snip the script and use it as needed, depending on the age group of your students!

Counselor Feedback 7:

I love this! I created a PowerPoint with pictures of the places that the meditations are about as a visual to start with, and will then ask students who are comfortable doing so to close their eyes and do the meditation.

A Helpful Hint: It is important to cater to students' needs depending on their unique learning styles. Giving visual learners an actual image to look at and then imagine as you take them through the mindful meditation can in fact prove effective and help them focus better even when their eyes are shut and they are listening to the script being read.

Counselor Feedback 8:

A number of my students have anxiety and/or attention issues. Playing meditative music has proven beneficial in promoting relaxation. Combined with these guided meditations - it's a win-win situation!!!

A Helpful Hint: Music and mindfulness go hand-in-hand. I have a Spotify playlist on loop in my office. The music is calm and relaxing and pairs rather well with these guided meditation scripts.

If you're looking for other ways to incorporate mindfulness in your school counseling program, check out this blog post. Are you a fan of guided meditations? Has it worked with your students? I would love to know in the comments!