10 tips for student wellbeing at back to school time

Donatella Fitzgerald MBE
Donatella Fitzgerald MBE
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Reading time: 5 minutes

Donatella Fitzgerald is a teacher, teacher trainer, and trained to teach the MISP Mindfulness in Schools Project (from pre-school to teens) and has completed Module 1 on the Teacher Training Pathway with the Mindfulness Network in collaboration with Bangor University. Her specialist interest areas are Extensive Reading Projects, CLIL, Citizenship, Mindfulness, Plurilingualism and Artificial Intelligence in Education. In her current role as ELL Consultant at ɫèAV in Italy she works with teachers and students every day to find solutions to help them achieve their teaching and learning goals. In 2024, she was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the King’s Birthday Honours List for Services to English Education and Youth Engagement.

The first weeks back at school after a break can be both exciting and overwhelming. It’s a time of new beginnings, fresh challenges, and opportunities for growth. Prioritizing wellbeing during this period is crucial for a smooth transition and long-term success. Students may be feeling anxious and unsettled due to starting a new school year, or even a new school. In today's fast-paced academic environment, maintaining mental, emotional, and physical health is more crucial than ever. Here are some tips to help your students stay balanced and thrive throughout the school year.

tips for student wellbeing at back to school time
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1.Establish a routine

Creating a consistent daily schedule can help you manage your time effectively. As well as study, include time for extracurricular activities, hobbies and relaxation. Keep your study area tidy as this can help you focus more. Having a consistent daily routine can reduce anxiety by providing structure and predictability.

2.Get enough sleep

Aim for 8-10 hours of sleep each night. A good night’s rest is crucial for concentration, memory, and overall health. Lack of sleep can affect your concentration, focus, mood, emotional well-being and immune system.

How can you do this?

  • Create a sleep schedule – Try to maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time daily. This helps keep your body’s internal clock in sync.
  • Limit screen time before bed – The blue light from screens can interfere with your sleep. Turn off your devices at least an hour before bed.

3.Stay organized

Use planners, calendars, or apps to keep track of assignments, tests and activities. Staying organized reduces stress and helps you stay on top of your responsibilities. Set achievable academic and personal goals. Break them down into smaller steps to make them more manageable and celebrate your progress along the way. Create a study plan to help you with your scheduling your homework and revision for tests so you don't leave things to the last minute. Make sure you schedule time for hobbies and relaxing. Don’t forget to make time to read a good book.

4. Stick to a balanced diet and drink plenty of water throughout the day

Eating wellis essential for everyone. Fuel your body with balanced meals that include fruits, vegetables, proteins and whole grains. Avoid excessive junk food and sugary drinks. A balanced diet can make a big difference in your energy levels and overall health.

  • Start with breakfast – Kickstart your day with a nutritious breakfast. Try oatmeal with fruits, yogurt, or a smoothie. These options are quick and easy, and they give you the energy to tackle your morning classes.
  • Healthy snacking – Keep healthy snacks like nuts, fruit in your school bag.
  • Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Carrying a reusable water bottle can help have water available whenever you need to drink.

5.Stay physically active, take breaks and make time for a mindful walk every day

Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to boost your mood and energy levels. Taking short breaks of 5-10 minutes every hour while studying, can help maintain focus and prevent burnout. Go on a mindful walk everyday, noticing what is around you and connecting with nature.

A mindful walk can significantly reduce stress by helping you stay present and focused on your surroundings. It also boosts mental clarity and creativity, making it easier to tackle daily challenges. Additionally, it promotes physical health by encouraging gentle exercise and improving overall well-being and is a wonderful way to connect with the present moment. Here are some steps to get you started:

Choose a peaceful location: Find a quiet place where you can walk without many distractions.

Engage your senses: Notice the sights, sounds, smells and textures around you. Feel the ground beneath your feet with each step.

Walk slowly and deliberately: Pay attention to each movement, from lifting your foot to placing it down.

Stay present: If your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to your breath and surroundings.

You can also play an outdoor mindfulness game to have a mindful moment and really connect with nature:

Find a bench or a quiet place.

Name/notice

  • 5 things you can see
  • 4 things you can feel
  • 3 things you can hear
  • 2 things you can smell
  • 1 thing you can taste

6.Practice gratitude

Practicing gratitude daily can significantly boost your wellbeing, especially during the back-to-school season. It helps reduce stress by shifting your focus from worries to positive aspects of your life. Gratitude can improve your mood, making you more resilient to challenges. It also enhances your relationships with classmates and teachers by fostering a positive and supportive environment. Lastly, it promotes better sleep, which is crucial for maintaining energy and concentration throughout the school day.

Gratitude needs to be practiced and you can do this by incorporating gratitude into your daily routine. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  1. Gratitude journal: Spend a few minutes each day writing down three things that you’re grateful for. This can be done in the morning to start your day positively or at night to reflect on the day.
  2. Gratitude jar: Write down things you’re thankful for on small pieces of paper and put them in a jar. Over time, you’ll have a collection of positive moments to look back on.
  3. Mindful moments: Take a moment during your day to pause and appreciate something around you, whether it’s a beautiful view, a kind gesture, or a personal achievement.
  4. Gratitude reminders: Set reminders on your phone or place sticky notes in visible areas to prompt you to think about what you’re grateful for.
  5. Express gratitude: Make it a habit to thank people around you, whether it’s a friend, family member, or teacher. Expressing gratitude can strengthen your relationships and spread positivity.

7.Stay connected

Social support is vital for emotional wellbeing, especially during stressful times. Building a support network is important for your well-being. Positive social interactions can help reduce stress and improve your mood. Join after school/college clubs and take up a new hobby or sport. Have homework study buddies to study with.

8.Practice mindfulness

Incorporate mindfulness or meditation practices into your routine. These can help reduce anxiety and improve your focus and emotional regulation.

An easy one to practice is the S.T.O.P. mindfulness practice: It is a great way for students to manage stress and stay focused.

S - Stop: Pause whatever you’re doing. Just take a moment to stop what you are doing.

T - Take a breath: Take a deep breath in and out. Focus on your breathing to help center yourself.

O - Observe: Notice what is happening around you and pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.

P - Proceed: Continue with your activity, but do so with a sense of calm and mindfulness.

This practice can be done in just a few minutes and can help students feel more grounded and present.

Guide your learners to use well-being apps, which can help with things like sleeping, focus, movement and waking up.

9.Set realistic goals

Set achievable academic and personal goals. Break them down into smaller steps to make them more manageable and celebrate your progress along the way. Create a study plan to help you with your scheduling your homework and revision for tests so you do not leave things to the last minute.

10.Adopt a growth mindset

Adopting a growth mindset means believing you can improve through effort and learning. Embrace challenges as opportunities to grow. Learn from mistakes and see them as steps towards success. Stay curious and keep trying new things. Remember, your abilities can always develop with persistence and hard work.

How are you feeling about being back at school or college?

Explore our blog posts 'Using language learning as a form of self-care for wellbeing' and 'Supporting wellbeing using AI in the classroom'.

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  • a young boy and a young girl sat at desks in a classroom, smiling and looking at another child in front of them

    Five ways to promote friendship in your English language classroom

    By Joanna Wiseman

    There is a strong link between well-being and friendship, which is just as accurate for children as it is for adults. that children with stable friendships are happier, more able to cope with stress, and have higher self-esteem. Moreover, too, and children who experience friendship adjust more easily to school and perform better academically. School friendships are also a valuable way of learning social skills like sharing, resolving conflict, and engaging with peers positively.

    Having friends is an important part of school life, and teachers can play a significant role in creating a positive classroom culture and helping children and young people to form friendships. How can you promote friendships between your students? Here are some ideas:

    1. Make friendship a central theme in your classes

    If there is an example of a good friendship in a book you are reading with students or in your lesson materials, draw your students’ attention to it. For instance, The Jungle Book is an excellent example of a story about friendship. Encourage your students to think critically about the friendships that they read about. You can ask questions like:

    • What are some things a good friend does?
    • What are the qualities of a good friend?
    • What words do you associate with friendship?

    By discussing friendship regularly in the classroom, your students will learn about the behavior and characteristics of being a good friend.

    2. Create opportunities for interaction

    You can create lots of opportunities for students to build friendships with one another during class time. Design activities that call for pair or group work, and include at least one or two in every lesson. Focusing on a common goal or problem is a great way to encourage your students to bond with one another.As a bonus, this collaborative way of working promotes important 21st century skills like communication and problem-solving.

    Another way of promoting friendships between different groups of students is moving them around. Adjust your seating plan regularly to ensure that all your students interact with and work alongside different classmates, to promote positive, friendly classroom vibes.

    3. Discuss and model good behavior

    Friendship is a social skill that children need to learn – and you can help by teaching them. Be explicit about exactly what you expect from them. Saying, “Be kind” is an abstract, vague concept that children might struggle to put into practice. Instead, give them concrete examples of behavior, such as:

    • take turns when playing
    • speak respectfully
    • share pens or other resources

    When you see a student engaging in these behaviors, draw attention to them and praise them.

    But to really convey the importance of school friendships and kind behavior, it’s not enough to tell them. As the teacher, you must model the behavior you’d like to see in your students. Be consistently positive and upbeat in your interactions with students, thank your learners when they offer help with something, and try to refrain from sounding impatient (even when you are!). All these steps will help to build a positive classroom culture where students feel secure, supported and happy.

    4. Help to navigate difficult situations

    Conflict is an inevitable part of school life, but you can help students to navigate arguments and other difficult situations in the classroom. If two students argue, you can help them to resolve it with the following steps:

    • Separate the students to give them time to calm down.
    • Have a conversation with them. Ask for their perspective on the conflict, and find out how their day has been in general. Sometimes, you can better understand a student’s reaction when you look at the bigger picture. Ask them how they feel, and how they could resolve the situation.
    • Bring the students together again to discuss things and find a resolution together. Reconciliation is the goal.

    Following these simple steps teaches children a framework for resolving conflict and gives them the tools to process strong emotions.

    5. Do some friendship-focused activities

    An excellent way to promote a positive classroom culture is to do friendship-focused activities with your students:

    You could do a Venn diagram activity, where students work in pairs to discuss and write down things they have in common and areas of difference. It’s good to pair students who don’t spend much time together for this activity.

    Another positive activity is a 'Honey Roast'. Give students enough squares of paper to have one for each of their classmates. Get them to write their classmates’ names on the paper, and then, on the other side, write down a compliment or something they like about that person, for example, “I like your handwriting”, or “You always use kind words”. Collect the pieces of paper and read out some nice examples to the class. Alternatively, give them directly to the students to read to themselves.