Classrooms today can feel like busy intersections—students juggling academic pressure, social dynamics, and constant stimulation from the world around them. With so much noise, it’s easy for kids to lose touch with their own thoughts and emotions. That’s why mindfulness matters.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. For students, it means slowing down enough to notice their feelings, their environment, and even the small joys that often go unnoticed. Research shows that mindfulness improves focus, reduces stress, and supports emotional regulation—all skills that help students thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

Even more, mindfulness creates the mental space for gratitude. When students learn to pause and observe with curiosity, they’re more likely to recognize the people, opportunities, and experiences they can be thankful for. Gratitude and mindfulness together build resilience, empathy, and a sense of everyday calm.

gratitude and mindfulness activities for students

If you’re ready to go deeper into gratitude, you might enjoy my post on Teaching the Types of Gratitude to Inspire Everyday Gratitude in Students.

Teaching Mindfulness in the classroom

Mindfulness is not something most students develop on their own—it needs to be modeled, explained, and practiced. That’s why I like to bring mindfulness activities for students into the classroom in ways that feel short, engaging, and accessible. For upper elementary learners, mindfulness doesn’t need to look like long meditations. Instead, it can be woven into everyday routines and lessons so students see it as a tool they can use anytime.

ACTIVITY 1: WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

Before my students can practice mindfulness, I start by giving them a clear definition: Mindfulness is having a strong awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in the present moment—without judgment.

After introducing the definition, I invite students to share what comes to mind when they hear the word mindfulness. Many describe calm colors, quiet places, or objects that help them feel peaceful.

To deepen the discussion, I read aloud A Handful of Quiet by Thich Nhat Hanh. The story gives students a concrete way to think about mindfulness, and afterward we discuss questions such as:

What does it mean to be mindful?
Why might mindfulness be important in your own life?
How can mindfulness help us notice gratitude in small moments?

This activity helps students see mindfulness not as something abstract, but as a skill they can practice daily—and as a doorway to gratitude.

(Click here to see all of my go-to books about gratitude and mindfulness for upper elementary read alouds!)

See all my SEL Gratitude Activities and Resources on TPT

ACTIVITY 2: MINDFUL GRATITUDE WALK

One of my favorite ways to combine gratitude and mindfulness in the classroom is by taking students on a silent gratitude walk. We step outside—around the school building, playground, or even just a quiet hallway—and I encourage them to pay close attention to what they see, hear, smell, and feel.

When we return, I ask students to share what they noticed that they might usually overlook: the sound of leaves crunching, a cool breeze, or the way the sunlight shines on the sidewalk. These small details become powerful reminders that gratitude isn’t reserved for big moments—it can be found in everyday experiences.

By pairing mindfulness with gratitude in this way, students begin to understand how slowing down helps them recognize and appreciate the good that’s always around them.

ACTIVITY 3: MINDFULNESS BLOCKERS

Another mindfulness activity I use with my students is exploring what I call mindfulness blockers—the thoughts or distractions that make it harder to notice the good around us. I start by asking a few simple questions: Have you ever felt like your brain was too full to focus? What kinds of things take up space in your mind during the day?

As students share, I record their ideas on an anchor chart titled “What Clouds Our Minds?”. It always fills up quickly with things like homework, worrying about sports, or even just thinking about what’s for lunch.

Then, in small groups, students use a reflection page called Clearing the Clouds. They brainstorm their own “mind clouds,” come up with ways to clear them, and think about how that would change the way they feel. It’s amazing to see how even young students recognize that pausing, breathing, and letting go of cluttered thoughts creates space for gratitude and calm.

ACTIVITY 4: LETTING THOUGHTS PASS

One of my favorite mindfulness practices to do with students is guiding them through a short visualization I call Letting Thoughts Pass. I ask them to get comfortable, close their eyes (if they want to), or focus on one spot in the room. Then I explain that their thoughts are like clouds moving across the sky.

When a distraction or worry pops into their mind, instead of holding onto it, I encourage them to imagine it drifting by, just like a cloud carried by the wind. We practice noticing the thought, then gently letting it go.

This simple exercise helps students realize they don’t have to believe or get stuck in every thought they have. With practice, they start to feel calmer and more in control of their focus—and they often share how it makes them feel lighter, like their minds have more room for gratitude and positivity.

WHERE GRATITUDE AND MINDFULNESS MEET

The more I’ve woven mindfulness and gratitude into my classroom, the more I’ve seen students slow down, notice the good around them, and handle challenges with more ease. Whether it’s taking a gratitude walk, practicing letting thoughts pass, or clearing away their “mind clouds,” these small moments add up.

For me, the biggest shift has been watching students realize that mindfulness isn’t just something we “do” during a lesson—it’s a way of moving through the day. Gratitude becomes easier to spot, kindness comes more naturally, and the classroom feels calmer and more connected.

If you’re looking for more ways to keep this momentum going, you might enjoy exploring the four types of gratitude as another framework to help students see gratitude in action. And if you’re ready for even more ideas, I’ve also gathered 16 engaging gratitude activities that pair perfectly with mindfulness.

NEED MORE GRATITUDE AND MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES AND DONE-FOR-YOU RESOURCES FOR TEACHING GRATITUDE?

You can manage to do each of these mindfulness activities for students with a reflection journal and materials you have around the classroom, but if you want some of the work done for you, you can check out my Gratitude theme SEL unit. I use this unit for a 2-3 week morning meeting unit. It includes student journal pages, detailed and editable gratitude lesson plans, bulletin board materials with gratitude vocabulary and related gratitude quotations, and Google Slides for the teacher and a digital student notebook. This Gratitude theme SEL unit is also included in the SEL Morning Meeting MEGA Bundle that contains 17 social- emotional learning themes. If you’re looking to increase your social-emotional learning focus, you’ve come to the right place!

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL TOPICS TO GUIDE YOUR MORNING MEETINGS ALL YEAR

If you’re looking to increase your social-emotional learning focus, you’ve come to the right place my friend! This Gratitude themed SEL unit is also included in the SEL Morning Meeting MEGA Bundle that contains 16 social- emotional learning themes. With units focused on gratitude, empathy and compassion, growth mindset, conflict resolution and compromise, grit and perseverance, responsibility, understanding and managing emotions, and so much more, your engaging SEL or morning meeting plans are done for you and your students will love them!

If you purchase the bundle from my personal website store, you can save 20% on the SEL Mega Bundle of all 16 topics with the code SEL20.