November 4, 2020 | Erika Raso
Millions of teachers and students in America are facing a growing mental health crisis.
Anxiety and depression are among the leading mental health issues of today’s rapidly changing and digital world.
Sadly, it’s gotten worse:
The pandemic is amplifying teacher and student mental health issues as classes resume in the new reality.
So, you may be wondering how you can support your students during this time.
One of the ways teachers can help students reduce stress and anxiety at school is through practicing mindfulness.
Enter mindfulness apps.
Mindfulness apps for teachers help bring mindful moments into the classroom through guided meditations and exercises. Creating calm and focused classrooms in just a few minutes.
Benefits of mindfulness in the classroom.
Meditating helps kids build skills to manage stress at school. Making it easier for them to handle high stress moments like writing tests and exams.
Mindfulness is the practice of turning your attention to the present moment with curiosity.
It’s a simple habit. From listening to sounds to mindful breathing, mindfulness exercises are easy for everyone to learn.
Here’s the best part:
Teaching mindfulness early can have a lasting positive effect on kids. Helping them build resilience and cope with life’s challenges as they grow.
Meditation can help you and your students develop skills like concentration, emotional regulation, kindness, compassion and self-soothing. All while elevating the mood of the classroom.
Luckily, there are many free tools out there for teachers and students to work on mindfulness together.
So it’s time to take a deep breath.
Today, we’re sharing the top free meditation apps for you and your students to help you integrate mindfulness at school.
6 best free meditation apps for teachers and students.
1. Calm
Calm is one of the most popular meditation apps. It offers every K-12 educator access to a free program called the Calm Schools Initiative.
What they offer:
- For every teacher in the world.
- Guided meditations.
- Sleep stories and meditations.
- Soothing nature scenes.
- Calming music.
- Calm Kids section with meditation sessions designed for specific age groups.
- Access to a free guide on introducing mindfulness to schools.
Ages: Ages 3 – 17
Devices: IOS + Android
2. Headspace
Headspace is a meditation and mindfulness app that offers free access to all K-12 teachers, school administrators and supporting staff in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
What they offer:
- Free meditation exercises and resources for every age group.
- Hundreds of guided meditations for stress and focus.
- Sleepcasts, sleep sounds and sleep music.
- Inspiring videos and quick workouts.
- Access to exclusive Facebook group “Headspace for Educators.”
- Group meditations and more.
Ages: All ages
Devices: IOS + Android
3. MyLife Meditation
MyLife is an award-winning meditation app with mindfulness exercises and games built for the classroom. It’s free for both educators and counselors.
What they offer:
- Over 400+ premium activities with new social-emotional learning activities added monthly.
- Tools to monitor classroom and social-emotional climate.
- Web-based mindfulness application for classroom and student at-home use.
- Meditations for middle school and high school students.
- Guided mindfulness audio tracks, videos on yoga and acupressure.
- Animated mindful games.
- It also offers self-care for educators and counselors.
- Access to an education community group on Facebook.
Ages: All ages
Devices: IOS + Android
4. Smiling Mind
The Smiling Mind app offers free mindfulness exercises for teachers and education professionals. Award-winning SEL focused school program building healthy minds and engaged classrooms.
What they offer:
- Mindfulness activities and meditations for students and teachers.
- Classroom resources for a social-emotional learning curriculum.
- Clear lesson plans.
- Practical resources for the classroom.
- New digital care packages to support kids’ mental health through the pandemic.
Ages: All ages
Devices: IOS + Android
5. Dreamykid
Dreamykid is a mindfulness app with meditations for young kids to become more mindful at school. It’s free for schools and teachers to use in the classroom.
What they offer:
- Tools designed for kids to deal with stress, technology-fatigue, and anxiety at a younger age.
- Meditations and issue-based meditations.
- Positive affirmations.
- Guided journeys.
- Healing activities.
- Sleep stories and sleep sounds.
- Sound healing.
- Unlimited access to the meditation library.
Ages: All ages
Devices: IOS + Desktop
6. Insight Timer
Insight Timer is another popular meditation app. It’s free for everyone but has a paid option for extra features.
What they offer:
- 65,000 free guided meditations.
- Talks and podcasts.
- Spoken words and poems.
- Yoga training.
- Sleep meditations.
- Some meditation teachers offer meditations tailored to students.
Ages: All ages
Devices: IOS + Android
Bonus Recommendations: Special Mentions for These App's Mindful Features
The Healthy Minds App
The Healthy Minds app includes podcast-style lessons and meditations. The training program framework is designed to help develop the skills needed for a healthy mind. All supported by decades of scientific research. Free for everyone.
What they offer:
- Active and seated meditations.
- Podcast-style lessons.
- Progress reporting.
Ages: All ages
Devices: IOS + Android
Bring mindful moments in the classroom.
Teaching students mindfulness is a great way to deal with stress and anxiety from everyday life.
Taking a moment to stop, breathe and let go can help calm the whole classroom.
Teaching can be a stressful job. It’s essential to pay attention to your needs, feelings by prioritizing your self-care and decompressing when you need it.
Apps and breathing exercises are a great way to introduce meditation and mindfulness to school, but to tackle the mental health crisis, it will take a more holistic approach.
JHU’s Safe and Healthy School certification program offers meaningful, holistic mental health and safety training for educators and schools. Get practical training, tools and resources around creating a safe space for all your students.
Learn more about this exciting new program today! Find more teacher resources on our Klassroom blog.