Daily breath-based mindfulness exercises in a randomized controlled trial improve primary school children's performance in arithmetic.
Scientific reports December 13, 2023 Katharina Voltmer, Finja Hondrich, Maria Von Salisch 3 citations
A daily classroom breathing program, the Breathing Break Intervention (BBI), improved third and fourth graders' arithmetic test scores compared to an active control group. In a randomized trial with 140 children, those who did brief breathing exercises for nine weeks scored higher on a standardized arithmetic test five months later, even after accounting for working memory and parents' education. Teacher ratings of math performance did not differ between groups. The results suggest that simple breathing practices can boost children's math skills.