💛 SELGrade 3Lesson 7
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Practice Mindfulness

Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).

Learning Objectives

  • 1Explain what mindfulness means
  • 2Sequence the four steps of a mindful moment: breathe in, hold, breathe out, notice how you feel
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Mini Lesson

Mindfulness means paying full attention to the present moment — what you can see, hear, feel, and sense right now — without judging it or wishing it were different. Your mind often wanders to the past ("I should have done better") or the future ("What if something goes wrong?"). Mindfulness gently brings it back to now.

Why practice mindfulness?

  • It helps you feel calm and focused before a quiz, a hard conversation, or a stressful moment.
  • It improves your ability to notice your emotions before they take over.
  • Even one minute of mindful breathing can reset a busy or worried mind.

The four steps of a mindful moment

  • 1. Breathe in — slowly fill your lungs through your nose for 4 counts.
  • 2. Hold — pause with your breath held gently for 2 counts.
  • 3. Breathe out — release slowly through your mouth for 6 counts.
  • 4. Notice how you feel — check in: what do you sense in your body and mind right now?

Other mindfulness anchors

  • 5 senses check: name 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, 3 you can touch, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.
  • Body scan: notice each part of your body from head to toe — is it relaxed or tense?
  • One-minute focus: concentrate on a single object or sound without letting your thoughts wander.
Mindfulness present-moment focus diagramThree zones: Past on the left, Now in the center as a glowing circle, and Future on the right. A mindfulness anchor label below says mindfulness brings your mind back to now.Where Is Your Mind?PastWhat wentwrong beforeNOWPresent momentFutureWhat mightgo wrongMindfulnessbrings your mind back to NOWPay attention to what is happening right now.
Three zones — Past, Now, and Future — with a mindfulness anchor bringing the wandering mind back to the present.
Four steps of a mindful breathA four-step cycle: 1 Breathe in for 4 counts, 2 Hold for 2 counts, 3 Breathe out for 6 counts, 4 Notice how you feel.One Mindful Breath1. Breathe inslowly through nosefor 4 counts2. Holdgently for2 counts3. Breathe outslowly through mouthfor 6 counts4. Noticehow you feelright now
A four-step cycle for one mindful breath — Breathe in, Hold, Breathe out, Notice how you feel.
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Self-check: Close your eyes and take one mindful breath right now. How do you feel after?

Vocabulary
Mindfulness
Paying calm attention to what is happening right nowe.g. Mindfulness helps me feel less worried.
Anchor
Something simple, like your breath, that you focus on to stay calme.g. My breath is my anchor when I feel tense.
Body scan
Slowly noticing how each part of your body feelse.g. A body scan helped me relax my shoulders.
5 senses check
Naming things you can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste right nowe.g. A 5 senses check brings me back to the present.
Focus
Putting your attention on one thing at a timee.g. I focus on my breathing for one minute.
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