Mindfulness Lesson Teaches Emotional Expression and Self-Regulation

Second graders quietly sat at their seats, using pencils to draw pictures that reflected moments when they felt mindful. The activity was part of a mindfulness lesson within the school’s Community, Awareness, Responsibility and Empathy (C.A.R.E.) program, led by school psychologist Dr. Joyce Vastola. 

“Mindfulness is the ability to pause and notice where you are right now – how you are feeling and what you’re experiencing,” Dr. Vastola said. “Our goal is to teach students to develop self-reflection and make thoughtful choices. Mindfulness plays a vital role in mental health because it supports self-regulation. Before students can manage their behavior, they must first become aware of their feelings.”

The C.A.R.E. program in Bronxville focuses on developing mindfulness skills to help students manage stress and big emotions, develop self-care and maintain positive relationships with peers and adults. During the lesson, Dr. Vastola emphasized that all emotions are important and serve a purpose by offering insight into what’s happening in a student’s life. 

“There are no bad feelings – only uncomfortable and comfortable ones,” Dr. Vastola said. 

Dr. Vastola also introduced vocabulary related to emotions, such as serene and ecstatic. Through the drawing activity, she encouraged students to recognize that they can be mindful in any situation, whether in nature, during sports or while completing schoolwork. 

“They can take deep breaths and check in with themselves,” Dr. Vastola said. “Mindfulness is really about being aware of thoughts and feelings without judgment and making choices on how to manage those emotions.”

All kindergarten through fifth grade students will participate in these mindfulness lessons before moving on to learning about distress tolerance at the end of October.