INSPO Fitness Journal June 2017

Helping Waikato kids to
PAUSE,
BREATHE
AND SMILE
“The teachers have all
seen improvements in
their classroom culture.
They’ve noticed the
children are more
settled, and the teachers
themselves have
personally benefitted
from some of the
strategies mindfulness
has taught them.”
Helping Waikato students and teachers increase their
wellbeing and resilience is the aim of a unique programme
called Pause, Breathe, Smile (PBS), operated by the
Mindfulness Education Group.
While we all want our children to
thrive at school – to learn well,
pay attention, make friends and
develop the skills needed to navigate life and
grow to be thriving, happy adults; modern
childhood comes with increasing pressures
on children to perform and achieve. At
the same time new technologies, games,
advertising and the pace of modern life all
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compete for their attention.
The Pause, Breathe, Smile programme
is New Zealand’s only locally developed,
evidence-based and scientifically-informed
mindfulness in schools programme. It aligns
with the New Zealand Education Curriculum
and incorporates Te Whare Tapa Whā as
a key element of the programme.
In 2013 and 2014 the programme creator
along with AUT
and University of
Auckland conducted
three research
studies of the
programme, all of
these studies have
now been through
robust academic
peer-review processes
and published in
significant international
journals. This
research shows that
participation by
children and young
people in the Pause,
Breathe, Smile programme
in Aotearoa
B7259H
schools:
• Increases calmness
• Improves focus
and attention
• Enhances
self-awareness
• Helps develop
conflict resolution
skills and positive
relationships
• Reduces stress for
teachers
• Leads to statistically
significant increases
in wellbeing
Nawton School,
a decile 2 Hamilton primary school has seen
such impressive results from PBS that they
have been implementing the programme
across their whole school. Earlier in 2017, two
Nawton School teachers were awarded full
scholarships to become certified educators of
the programme.
“We’ve seen it positively impact children
in our junior, middle and senior schools, and
in all of our classes, whether they’re taught
in English, Maori or a mixture of both,” says
Nawton principal Rubina Wheeler.
“The teachers have all seen improvements
in their classroom culture. They’ve
noticed the children are more settled, and
the teachers themselves have personally benefitted
from some of the strategies mindfulness
has taught them.”
Teachers have also noted that teaching
mindfulness to children has been a useful
tool in helping children to self-manage their
behaviour and focus on their learning.
“It fits nicely into the strategies we use
to help empower students to succeed,” Ms
Wheeler says. “We’re seeing real benefits to
the children – it teaches them to focus their
attention on their school work.
“We’re also noticing that the children
are persevering when they meet challenges,
not just when they encounter challenging
behaviour from others but also when they’re
finding learning difficult. When it’s hard,
32 INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL JUNE 2017