As an early childhood educator, you have one of society's most important jobs. You teach, nurture, and care for children in their earliest, most formative years. Yet, nearly half of early childhood educators report higher levels of burnout than ever before. They are balancing long hours, low pay, and rising expectations—all while guiding a busy classroom of early learners.
Does that sound like you? If so, how can you manage the stress of the job to preserve your well-being, resilience, and joy for teaching?
Enter mindfulness: the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment. When done regularly, it can help you reduce stress, reduce burnout, and feel more centered both in and out of the classroom. Keep reading for five mindfulness practices for educators that can help you find calm, stay joyful, and reignite your passion for early education.
Stress among early childhood educators has reached critical levels. A recent study by RAND, a nonprofit research organization, found that twice as many pre-K teachers reported frequent job-related stress compared to similar working adults. The main culprits? Managing student behavior, low pay, supporting student mental health, and paperwork outside of teaching.
Teachers are also feeling the mounting pressures on early childhood education programs to provide high-quality care while dealing with rising costs, staff shortages, and the loss of federal funding. Child care wages and benefits remain uncompetitive with other jobs and still fail to reflect the complex, challenging, and valuable work early educators do.
Amid these challenges, taking care of your well-being is more important than ever—and mindfulness can help. Mindfulness is the practice of turning your attention to the present moment with openness and acceptance. It means noticing your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. For early childhood educators, mindfulness builds presence—a quality that's essential when working with young children who need your full attention and calm energy.
When you practice mindfulness regularly, you develop better stress management skills, improved emotional control, and greater strength in challenging situations. You're also more likely to respond thoughtfully to difficult moments rather than react quickly.
Mindfulness doesn't just benefit you—it can change your entire classroom environment. According to Elizabeth Joy Erwin, EdD, author of The Power of Presence: A Guide to Mindfulness Practices in Early Childhood, young children can experience ease and relaxation when the adults around them are relaxed. Just as teachers can accidentally create a stressful classroom culture where speed, noise, busyness, and distractions rule, you can deliberately create environments with children where silence, stillness, and mindfulness serve as natural anchors.
Studies looking at preschoolers and the effects of mindfulness-based activities show that children who participate in mindfulness activities show improved attention, better emotional control, and better social skills. When you model mindfulness—and invite them into your practice—children naturally pick up these valuable life skills.
You don't have to meditate for hours to practice mindfulness. Below are simple and practical ways to be more present in the small, day-to-day moments.
Deep breathing is one of the most accessible mindfulness tools available to busy educators. Studies show that brief structured breathing exercises improve mood and reduce physical stress responses, helping your nervous system shift from stress mode to calm mode.
You can activate deep breathing anywhere, anytime—even in the middle of a busy classroom. Whether you need to center yourself before morning drop-off, reset after handling a child's meltdown, or find calm during a challenging transition, you can always find time to take a few deep breaths.
Box breathing technique: This simple method follows a 4-4-4-4 breathing pattern to move your body from a state of stress to a state of calm.
Repeat this exercise 4-6 times to train your body to shift from “fight or flight mode” to a calm, relaxed state. Try deep breathing while children are doing quiet activities, during your lunch break, or even while walking down the hallway. The key is making it a regular practice so it becomes your go-to tool when stress happens.
In Find the Joyful Leader Within: Banishing Burnout in Early Childhood Education, author Teresa A. Byington, PhD, highlights joy as a key to helping teachers "bounce forward" from stress, anxiety, and burnout. Joyspotting is one of the techniques she recommends for bringing more joy into your work and life.
Joyspotting is the intentional practice of recognizing joyful things in your environment. It trains your brain to notice positive experiences, even during challenging moments. It also helps combat burnout because it shifts your focus from what's going wrong to what's going right. When you actively look for joy, you're tuning into the present to notice the good things happening around you.
How to practice joyspotting:
Try to spot at least three joyful things each day. Write them down in case you need a reminder of the moments that bring you joy. This practice trains your brain to notice positive experiences more naturally.
Gentle movement and stretching release physical tension while bringing awareness to your body. Even a few minutes of mindful movement can reset your energy and improve your mood.
Here are a few simple movements you can do throughout the school day:
These activities help create moments of calm and connection throughout the school day.
These elements create a more peaceful classroom environment that supports mindful awareness throughout the day.
Mindful journaling helps you process your experiences, work through challenges, and notice patterns in your thoughts and emotions. This practice gives you space to process stress, reflect on your experiences, and cultivate self-compassion.
You don't need to write for long—even five minutes can be helpful. Try journaling:
Here are a few simple journaling prompts:
The key is writing without judgment. Let your thoughts flow freely without worrying about grammar or making sense.
Mindfulness helps you manage the daily stressors you face in your role as an early childhood educator. These five practices—deep breathing, joyspotting, mindful movement, time in nature, and journaling—can help you find moments of calm, joy, and balance even during your busiest days.
When you practice mindfulness regularly, you create a calmer, more peaceful classroom environment where both learning and joy can flourish. But the benefits go beyond your classroom walls. Mindfulness helps you care for yourself, maintain your passion for teaching, and fight burnout. By taking care of yourself, you're better prepared to provide the nurturing, responsive care that young children need to thrive.