Coding & mindfulness – Breteau Foundation

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We deliver a mindfulness and coding programme in South Africa

Extracurricular Programme

Mindfulness and Coding Programme

In 2021, two schools in South Africa implemented a Mindfulness and Coding Afterschool programme for selected students in Grade 5 – 7. Students start each session with guided meditation and yoga to calm the mind from the excitement and stress of the day. They have reported that learning these methods to obtain clarity helps them in their daily subjects at school as well as in their home life. After they are relaxed and their brains are open to new learning, they work through CodeMonkey challenges, activities designed to unlock critical thinking, coding and maths problem solving skills. They also use Scottie Go coding board games for coding practice.

Why Mindfulness and Coding?

In order for anyone to learn, they need to be relaxed, happy and open to new ideas. Oftentimes students, particularly in poor communities, come from environments of high stress, lack of safety and feelings of chaos. These can inhibit the brain from accepting new information. In the mindfulness and coding programme, students are led through exercises to calm the mind and body to prepare for optimal learning. They participate in guided meditation, deep breathing and yoga first, and then are exposed to new coding skills. The combination of these two activities allows for the best gains.

Honey Phali, BF programme facilitator

“Learning and practicing skills such as mindfulness and yoga provide students with tools they need to self-regulate and manage the increasing demands placed upon them in the classroom. It provides the opportunity to reduce problems in school like inattentiveness or acting out, while fostering skills for positive mental health”