This document provides information about key areas of the brain and mindfulness strategies. It introduces the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala, explaining their roles in learning, memory, and threat response. It encourages mindfulness practices like deep breathing and focused listening to calm the brain and allow rational thinking. The goal is to strengthen the ability to focus by getting information efficiently to the prefrontal cortex and storing important ideas.

1. MINDUP!
B R A I N - F O C U S E D S T R AT E G I E S F O R L E A R N I N G A N D
L I V I N G

2. M E E T S O M E K E Y
P L AY E R S O F T H E
B R A I N
Prefrontal Cortex- is where
learning, reasoning, and
thinking takes place. This part
controls our decision making
and learning.
Hippocampus- help manage
response to fear and threats.
This area acts as a storage vault
for memory and learning.
Amygdala- is the security guard
of our brain. This area of our
brain protects us from threats. It
tells us if we should fight, flight,
or freeze.

3. C H E C K O U T T H I S
V I D E O !
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=NNOrAOT4_2k This video will show you how
the amygdala when on alert
scatters information. You will
see this when the bottle gets
shaken up. When the glitter
starts to settle down this is the
mind calming itself down
allowing for information to flow
in a clear directions. Some of
this information will go to the
Prefrontal Cortext (PFC) for
thoughtful decision making.
Can you think
of a time when
your brain feels
all shaken up
and confused-
like the sand,
glitter, and
confetti in the
shaken bottle?
What helps you
calm down so
you can think?

4. M Y B R A I N I S S O V E R Y I M P O R T A N T ; I T H E L P S M E D O M O S T
E V E R Y T H I N G .
L O C A T E D H E R E I N M Y H E A D ; I T S W H Y I C A N T H I N K , C H O O S E ,
A N D S I N G .
M Y B R A I N , M Y B R A I N ; I T I S S O I M P O R T A N T T O M E , T O M E ,
M Y B R A I N , M Y B R A I N ; I T I S S O I M P O R T A N T T O M E .
M Y B R A I N , I T H E L P S M E T H I N K A N D R E M E M B E R ; M Y B R A I N
T E L L S M E F I G H T , F L E E , O R F R E E Z E ;
I T H E L P S A L L M Y P A R T S W O R K T O G E T H E R , A N D T H A T ’ S W H Y I
J U S T H A V E T O S A Y ,
M Y B R A I N , M Y B R A I N ; I T I S S O I M P O R T A N T T O M E , T O M E ,
M Y B R A I N , M Y B R A I N ; I T I S S O I M P O R T A N T T O M E .
My Brain Is So Very Important To Me
(Tune: Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)

5. LET’S MODEL OUR BRAIN WITH OUR FIST!
1. Make a fist with both of your hands and put the fist together with right and left knuckles
aligned and thumbs side by side pointing upward.
 Your thumbs are the prefrontal cortex. This is your wise leader who helps you make good
choices and pay attention. Its also known as your PFC.
 The tips of your pointer fingers are buried deep inside. They are the amygdala. This is your
security guard who warns you of danger, keeps you safe, and helps you express emotions,
such as anger and fear.
 The tips of your middle fingers are your hippocampus, the saver of memories. This saver of
memories keeps important information and brings it back when we need it.
Prefrontal cortex
Amygdala
Hippocampus

6. IMAGINE THIS!
YOU ARE ASLEEP. A LOUD CRASH WAKES YOU UP. HOW DOES YOUR
BODY IMMEDIATELY REACT? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? HOW DOES
YOUR BODY FEEL?
WHICH PART OF YOUR BRAIN WILL KEEP YOU SAFE-
A)THE WISE LEADER (PREFRONTAL CORTEX)
B)SECURITY GUARD (THE AMYGDALA)
C)THE MEMORY SAVER (THE HIPPOCAMPUS)
* IN THE FUTURE LESSONS YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO HELP CALM YOUR AMY GDAL A
WHEN THERE’S NO IMMEDIATE THREAT. THIS WILL STRENGTHEN YOUR ABIL ITY TO
F0CUS BY GET TING INFORMATION TO THE PFC EFFICIENTLY AND STORE IM PORTANT
IDEAS.

7. P I C K A T O P I C T O W R I T E A B O U T !
1 . W R I T E A B O U T O R D R A W A P I C T U R E
O F A F A V O R I T E M E M O R Y T H A T ’ S
S T O R E D I N Y O U R H I P P O C A M P U S . W H Y
D O Y O U T H I N K Y O U R P R E F R O N T A L
C O R T E X S A V E D T H A T M E M O R Y ?
2 . I M A G I N E T H E A M Y G D A L A ,
H I P P O C A M P U S , A N D P R E F R O N T A L
C O R T E X A S S U P E R H E R O E S . G I V E E A C H A
N A M E T O E X P L A I N I T S R O L E .

8. WHAT’S MY ROLE? IS IT THE AMYGDALA,
HIPPOCAMPUS, OR THE PREFRONTAL
CORTEX?
* THIS PART THAT HELPS US REMEMBER
FRIENDS?
* THIS PART IS RIGHT BEHIND OUR FOREHEAD
AND HELPS US MAKE GOOD DECISIONS.
*YOU JUMP AWAY FROM A SUDDEN NOISE.
WHICH PART OF YOUR BRAIN WAS AT WORK?

9. TA K E A B I G B R E AT H
T A K I N G B I G B R E A T H S C A N H E L P C A L M U S D O W N
A N D F O C U S .
1 . S T A N D W I T H Y O U R F E E T A P A R T . C R O S S O N E
W R I S T O V E R T H E O T H E R .
2 . S L O W L Y B R E A T H E I N T H R O U G H Y O U R N O S E .
L I F T Y O U R A R M S S O T H E Y M E E T O V E R Y O U R H E A D .
3 . L E T O U T Y O U R B R E A T H S L O W L Y . B R I N G Y O U R
A R M S D O W N A N D C R O S S Y O U R W R I S T A G A I N .
Y O U C A N C O N T R O L Y O U R R E S P O N S E S W I T H T H E S E S I M P L E
T E C H N I Q U E S T O H E L P Y O U R S E L F B E C O M E C A L M E R .

10. W H E N S O P H I E G E T S A N G R Y -
R E A L LY, R E A L LY A N G R Y
B Y M O L LY B A N G
I N A N A N G R Y F I T . S O P H I E R U N S O U T O F
H E R H O U S E . A S S O P H I E B E G I N S T O
N O T I C E T H E N A T U R A L W O R L D A R O U N D
H E R , S H E C A L M S D O W N A N D R E T U R N S
H O M E I N A B E T T E R M O O D .
H T T P S : / / W W W . Y O U T U B E . C O M / W A T C H ? V = Y F V Z
O J G U T Y K
HOW CAN REFLECTING
RATHER THAN REACTING
HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON
OUR BEHAVIOR?

11. MINDFUL AND UNMINDFUL
AWARENESS
• Unmindful thoughts and actions occur when the gate-keeper amygdala blocks the
flow of sensory input to the prefrontal cortex and unconsciously reacts.
• Mindful thinking occurs when our brain has time to think about what we hear or see
before we respond to it. For example, counting to ten when we are angry. By the time
we get to ten, we feel better and can think more clearly and mindfully.
• Have any of you ever counted to ten when you’ve gotten angry? Did it help? How?
What do you think happened in your brain during the time it took to count?

12. L E T ’ S P R A C T I C E !
• What mindful
listening and
speaking looks like.
 Find a buddy.
 Sit facing each other.
 Taking turns one buddy
talks about their weekend
while the other buddy
listens.
 Then switch!
 Your goal is to practice
speaking and listening
mindfully to a partner.

13. F O C U S I N G O N
S O U N D S
Sit down comfortably and close
your eyes.
Listen very carefully for all the
sounds you can hear around in
our classroom/hallway.
Share with a buddy.
Listen again. What can you hear
this time that you didn’t hear
the first time?
How did sitting and listening make you feel? Were you surprised by all
the different sounds you heard around you? Those sounds are always
there. We don’t hear them when we’re busy working in the classroom.
We are not directing our brain to listen for the sounds.

14. O U R A M Y G D A L A ( S E C U R I T Y G U A R D ) L E T L O T S O F S O U N D
I N F O R M A T I O N T H R O U G H T O O U R P F C , O U R W I S E L E A D E R .
T H E N T H E P F C S E N T T H E I N F O R M A T I O N T O O U R M E M O R Y
S A V E R T H E H I P P O C A M P U S .
W H E N Y O U W E R E L I S T E N I N G Y O U W E R E B E I N G M I N D F U L .
L E T ’ S P L AY A G A M E … . M I N D F U L V S U N M I N D F U L .

15. 1 . Y O U T A S T E A F O O D T O D E C I D E W H E T H E R Y O U L I K E
I T .
2 . Y O U S E E A F O O D A N D I M M E D I A T E L Y D E C I D E Y O U
D O N ’ T L I K E I T . Y O U D E C L A R E T H A T Y O U D O N ’ T L I K E
O R A N G E F O O D .
R E M E M B E R … . M I N D F U L I S N O T E Q U A L T O G O O D
B E H AV I O R . U N M I N D F U L I S N O T E Q U A L T O B A D
B E H AV I O R .
B E I N G U N M I N D F U L D O E S N ’ T M E A N T H AT W E A R E B A D
P E O P L E , B U T I T D O E S M E A N T H AT O U R A M Y G D A L A I S
M O R E I N C H A R G E T H A N O U R P F C .

16. WE ARE ALL OCCASIONALLY UNMINDFUL. WHEN WE PRACTICE WE USE
THAT TIME TO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT WE’RE ABOUT TO SAY OR DO.
THAT WILL HELP USE MAKE MINDFUL CHOICES FOR OURSELVES AND
PEOPLE AROUND US.
MINDFUL JOB: EMT’S
• An emergency medical technician
(EMT) often the first to arrive at the
scene of an accident. They are trained
to remain calm. EMT’s practice and
show mindful attention.
• Remember….mindful is not equal to
good behavior. Unmindful is not equal to
bad behavior.
• Being unmindful doesn’t mean that we
are bad people, but it does mean that
our amygdala is more in charge than our
PFC.
• Being mindful takes practice. When we
see unmindful behavior we can nicely
remind one another and ourselves to
“use your PFC, please!”

17. JOURNAL WRITE! LET’S REFLECT ON WHAT
WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT BEING
MINDFUL.
Write the words ‘Mindful Me’ on one side of
your paper. On the other side of your paper
write ‘Unmindful me’. Draw a picture of
yourself to go with each. Use speech bubbles
to show the words you might be saying.

18. TA K I N G C A R E O F
O U R E N V I R O N M E N T
Why is it important for all of us to
be mindful of our environment?
What would happen to our
environment if we acted in an
unmindful way? What are some
things we can do to take care of
our environment?
* Remember being mindful is a
continual practice that extends
beyond the walls of our
classroom. 

19. H T T P S : / / W W W. Y O U T U B E . C O M / W AT C H ? V = -
Q J 1 X Q R O T 2 4
W H E N D I N O S A U R S E A T T H E I R F O O D , S O M E A R E
M I N D F U L - A N D M I N D T H E I R M A N N E R S . D U R I N G
T H I S S T O R Y S T O P A N D T H I N K W H I C H
D I N O S A U R I S B E I N G M I N D F U L B Y A L L O W I N G
T H E I R P F C T O M A K E W I S E D E C I S I O N S A N D
W H I C H D I N O S A U R I S B E I N G U N M I N D F U L .

20. LET’S PLAY IN A MINDFUL WAY
• In pairs create a poster that shows some of the school’s playground rules.
• Illustrate the rule using crayons or markers.
• Think about the reason for the rule.
• Why is the rule important?
• How does it promote behaving in a mindful way?
• Please write “This rule promotes a mindful way by……”

21. THE CORE PRACTICE: CONTROLLING
OR BREATHING
Focusing on breathing helps calm the body by slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure,
and sharpening tools. Controlled breathing can decrease anxiety by overriding the ‘fight, flight,
or freeze’ response set off by the Amygdala and gives control to the Prefrontal Cortex for
conscious thought to occur.
The more controlled breathing the more mindful you can become.
When we use Core Practice we are quieting our minds and getting ready to learn. This practice
will help us become more focused in school and outside of school.

22. H O W D O E S
C O N T R O L L E D
B R E AT H I N G W O R K ?
We are going to use our hand and
forearm to show parts of our
neuron.
The palm is our nucleus.
The fingers are the dendrites.
The forearm is the axon.
The elbow is the nerve ending.
The information moves from the
dendrites through the axon and
gets sent along to another
neuron’s dendrites.
Nucleus:
Control
center
Dendrites receive
information from
other neurons
Axon: Relays
the signal
from the
dendrites
Nerve
endings that
transmit the
information
to other
Nucleus
Axon
Dendrites
Nerve
Ending
Can you show in your model
which part of our brain cells
grow when we practice
something?
What do you think will happen
to the neurons in charge of
helping us focus when we
practice mindful breathing?

23. FOCUSING ON BREATHING PRACTICE
• Sit down at carpet criss-cross apple sauce and close your eyes.
• Pay attention to your breathing.
• Take calm, slow breaths. Gently breathe in through your nose, then let go of each
breath.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed. Picture the air coming into your body and going out
again.
• If your mind tries to think about other things, bring your attention back to your breath.
• Feel your stomach rising and falling. Keep your belly soft and relaxed.
• Open your eyes slowly and take another slow, deep breath with your eyes open.
How did you feel as you breathed in and out? What did you notice about your breathing?
How did you keep your mind focused on your breathing?

24. WHEN SHOULD YOU USE MINDFUL
BREATHING?
• When you feel nervous.
• When you feel angry.
• When you feel afraid.
• Whenever you are needing to focus and calm down
your mind (quiz, test, center, independent work,
etc.)

25. L I E D O W N O N Y O U R B A C K S .
P L A C E A D O M I N O O N Y O U R S T O M A C H .
A S Y O U U S E C O R E P R A C T I C E W A T C H T H E
D O M I N O R I S E A N D F A L L O N Y O U R
S T O M A C H A S Y O U I N H A L E A N D E X H A L E .
D E E P B E L L Y B R E A T H I N G G I V E S T H E L U N G S
E V E N M O R E R O O M T O E X P A N D T H A N D O E S
C H E S T B R E A T H I N G .
B R E AT H I N G D E E P LY

26. J O U R N A L W R I T E
T H I N K A B O U T P R A C T I C I N G M I N D F U L L I S T E N I N G
A N D B R E A T H I N G A T H O M E . W R I T E A B O U T O R D R A W
T H E P L A C E I N Y O U R H O M E W H E R E Y O U W O U L D
P R A C T I C E .
S H A R E T H I S J O U R N A L E N T R Y W I T H Y O U R
P A R E N T / G U A R D I A N ( S ) . T A L K T O T H E M A B O U T
C O R E P R A C T I C E .

27. T H E B U S Y B O D Y B O O K
BY L I Z Z Y R O C K W E L L
A healthy body and mind are
key to focusing awareness.
When I’m reading this book I
want you to think about the
ways in which the brain,
respiration, and other body
systems work.

28. MINDFUL
LISTENING
M I N D F U L L I S T E N I N G H E L P S U S C H O O S E W H I C H
S O U N D S T O F O C U S O U R A T T E N T I O N O N A N D H E L P S U S
T O B E T H O U G H T F U L I N T H E W A Y W E H E A R A N D
R E S P O N D T O T H E W O R D S O F O T H E R S .

29. H O W D O E S M I N D F U L
L I S T E N I N G W O R K A N D
W H E R E D O E S I T TA K E
P L A C E I N O U R B R A I N ?
Mindful listening is when children
monitor their own auditory
experience by deciding what they
choose to focus on and respond
to. Doing so helps build self-
awareness and self-management
skills.
Mindful listening helps children
follow directions, resolve conflicts
through discussion, build
friendships, and listen to
important details.
Mindful Listening takes place in
the reticular activating system
(RAS) in your brain.
The RAS is a mechanism for keeping the brain awake
and alert and is the brain’s attention-focusing center.
The RAS serves as an ‘executive personal secretary’ to
the PFC forwarding on only what’s immediately
relevant.
A mindful, focused student is able to redirect
their attention to the task at hand, reassuring
themselves that lunchtime will come after
reading.

30. W H AT R A S LO O K S
L I K E
The RAS filters input only
allowing some things to pass
through.
The RAS lets important sights,
sounds, feelings, tastes, and
smells pass on to the brain, just
as this strainer is letting water
pass through.
However, it blocks unwanted
materials, just like this strainer
blocks the rice.
Strainer =
the RAS
Rice =
unwanted
materials
Water =
wanted
material to
pass

31. LETS TALK ABOUT THIS
• What are some situations, places, or times of day when it’s hard for you to pay attention?
• When that happens, what do you think is happening to your brain?

32. SOUNDS AND SCENTS
• We are going to play a game called sounds and scents.
• What sensory would you use for sounds?
• What sensory would you use for scents?
• I’m going to pass around a brown bag with a secret object in it. You are to guess what
hidden object is in the bag based on the sound or the scent the object makes.
• On your worksheet describe what you noticed about the object in the bag then make
your guess!

33. LISTENING GAME
• How is this listening game different from the way we usually listen to sounds?
• If you had trouble concentrating on the sounds, explain what you think distracted you
or got in the way.
• How was trying to figure out the different sounds good practice for mindful listening?
Remember, when you are really listening well you get the information you need
without being distracted. Doing so can help you mindfully decide what to say or what
to do.

34. WHAT JOBS HAVE MINDFUL
LISTENING?
• Teachers,
• Veterinarians
• 911 operators
• Doctors

35. JOURNAL
WRITING
D R A W A P I C T U R E O F Y O U R S E L F B Y A L A K E , I N A
F O R E S T , O R O N A B E A C H . L I S T O R W R I T E A B O U T T H E
S O U N D S Y O U W O U L D H E A R I F Y O U W E R E M I N D F U L L Y
L I S T E N I N G I N T H A T S E T T I N G .