My Mindfulness Soundboard: An Innovative Tool for Teachers to Promote Student Self-Regulation

As teachers, we know that emotions can run high in the classroom. Students may often feel overwhelmed, anxious, or frustrated, which can make it difficult for them to focus on learning. This is why it's important to teach your students how to practice mindfulness and self-regulation. I recently put together a range of lessons called 'Wellbeing and iPad' which focuses on using creative ways to learn about mental health and personal wellbeing on iPad.

I was in a classroom last week where a group of students found an online soundboard and were loving the funny effects and phrases it was producing. You could see the enjoyment in their faces and mood change in the classroom as it played (and replayed) these short audio clips with each other, so simple but so powerful. It had me thinking, what if students made their own and had it available on their iPad at all times to practice mindfulness and self-regulation. So I created a Pages document called My Mindfulness Soundboard.

This Pages document allows your students to create their own personalized soundboard. The soundboard can include sounds or soundscapes that are meaningful to each student and help them to relax and focus. Creating the My Mindfulness Soundboard is easy. All you need is the template below, GarageBand (or Voice Memo), and the Pages app.

On the template, page 2, is the soundboard page. They can add buttons or pictures to the page, and then use GarageBand or Voice Memos to record or create sounds that they find calming or relaxing depending on their emotion. For example, they could record the sound of waves crashing on the shore, birds singing outside, or create a calming melody using Live Loops.

Once your students have created their soundboard, they can export the document to Books on their iPad. This will allow them to access their soundboard whenever they need a moment to self-regulate their emotions. They can simply open the book and tap on the buttons or pictures to listen to their chosen sounds at any time.

The My Mindfulness Soundboard is a great tool for promoting self-regulation in the classroom. Here are some reasons why:

• Personalisation: Every student can create their own unique soundboard that is tailored to their personal emotions and regulation techniques. This helps to make the tool more effective and meaningful for each individual.
• Quick and easy to use: The soundboard is easily accessible on the student's iPad and can be used whenever they need it. It's a quick and easy way to self-regulate emotions and focus on learning.
• Non-disruptive: The soundboard is a non-disruptive way for students to self-regulate. They can use it without disturbing their classmates, and without drawing attention to themselves. It even continues playing when the screen is locked.
• Promotes mindfulness: The act of creating the soundboard itself is a mindful activity. It encourages students to focus on their senses and be present in the moment. This can help to reduce stress and anxiety and any other emotions they may be feeling.

By encouraging your students to create their own personalized soundboard, you are empowering them with a tool that they can use to regulate their emotions and focus on learning. The My Mindfulness Soundboard is an innovative and convenient way to promote mindfulness and self-regulation in the classroom. It provides students with a personalised, non-disruptive, and easy-to-use tool that promotes mindfulness through the creation and use of the soundboard. Try it out and see the positive impact it can have on your students!

As always if you'd like any support, please reach out.

💻 Connect with me on:

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Apple Support Links for GarageBand and Voice Memos

Adding Recordings/Audio to Pages

Using Live Loops in GarageBand

Recording in Voice Memos

Attachments

My Mindfulness Soundboard - Template.pages

Download  (345 KB)