--- title: Kids Meditation: Mindfulness May Increase Children's Math Scores description: Fourth and fifth graders who did mindfulness exercises had 15% better math scores than their peers canonical: https://time.com/3682311/mindfulness-math/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-26T18:50:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:02.727Z article:section: Health og:title: Mindfulness May Increase Kids' Math Scores og:description: Fourth and fifth graders who did mindfulness exercises had 15% better math scores than their peers og:url: https://time.com/3682311/mindfulness-math/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a277961c995eeab/69877f8a35ba6f260cc07194/child-math.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Child Math og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mindfulness May Increase Kids' Math Scores twitter:description: Fourth and fifth graders who did mindfulness exercises had 15% better math scores than their peers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a277961c995eeab/69877f8a35ba6f260cc07194/child-math.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Mindfulness Exercises Improve Kids' Math Scores ## Video: What's the Best Candy to Buy? Ask a Kid [Watch (HLS stream): What's the Best Candy to Buy? Ask a Kid](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gtRgoaZO.m3u8) (3:32)  _Published 2014-10-24. MONEY asked kids which Halloween candies they love...and which they hate._  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 26, 2015 6:50 PM UTC  Helping him reach his potential Helping him reach his potentialGetty Images  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 26, 2015 6:50 PM UTC In adults, mindfulness has been shown to have all kinds of amazing effects throughout the body: it can [combat stress](http://time.com/2933893/25-minutes-of-this-will-get-rid-of-your-stress/), [protect your heart](http://time.com/3534531/mindfulness-protects-heart-health/), [shorten migraines](http://time.com/3340452/meditation-shortens-migraines/) and possibly even extend life. But a new [trial](http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/a0038454) published in the journal _Developmental Psychology_ suggests that the effects are also powerful in kids as young as 9—so much so that improving mindfulness showed to improve everything from social skills to math scores. Researchers wanted to test the effects of a program that promotes social and emotional learning—peppered with mindfulness and kindness exercises—called MindUP. Developed by Goldie Hawn’s foundation, it’s used in schools across the U.S., Canada and beyond. The study authors put 99 4th and 5th grade public school students in British Columbia into one of two groups. One group received four months of the mindfulness program, and the other got four months of a standard “social responsibility” program already used in Canadian public schools. In the mindfulness classrooms, the program incorporated sense-sharpening exercises like mindful smelling and mindful eating, along with cognitive mindfulness exercises like seeing an issue from another’s point of view. Children did a three-minute meditation three times a day focusing on their breathing. They also acted on their lessons by practicing gratitude and doing kind things for others. For the four months, researchers analyzed all kinds of in-depth measures, like behavioral assessments, cortisol levels, children’s self-reports of their own wellbeing, reviews from their peers about sociability and the objective academic scores of math grades. The results were dramatic. “I really did not anticipate that we would have so many positive findings across all the multiple levels we looked at,” says study co-author Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, a developmental psychologist at the University of British Columbia. “I was very surprised,” she says—especially considering that the intervention took place at the end of the year, notoriously the worst time for students’ self-control. Compared to the kids in the social responsibility program, children with the mindful intervention had 15% better math scores, showed 24% more social behaviors, were 24% less aggressive and perceived themselves as 20% more prosocial. They outperformed their peers in cognitive control, stress levels, emotional control, optimism, empathy, mindfulness and aggression. The program also may have had an unintended effect—one the researchers didn’t measure, but now want to. “Anecdotally, teachers tell us that the program helped them calm down more—by doing the program and integrating these mindful attention practices and being more aware and thinking more about others, that they actually become less stressed,” Schonert-Reichl says. “That has huge implications, and a further area of research is needed.” More research is needed, but mindfulness interventions like these are promising. “Doing these kinds of programs in school does not take away from academics,” Schonert-Reichl says. “It adds to a growing research literature that’s showing, actually, these kinds of programs and practices increase academic gains. By adding this on, you not only create more academically capable, successful students, but actually create more caring, less stressed, kind students.” _Read next:_ [_Energy Drinks May Drive Kids to Distraction_](http://time.com/3700842/energy-drinks-kids/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ### See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America  Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another. Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural. Getty Images  Burlington, Vt. Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long. Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com  Silicon Valley, Calif. Best Place for Workplace Wellness With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux  Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Best Place for Aging Well Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down. Getty Images  Denver and Boulder, Colo. Best Place for Keeping Fit The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape. Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis  Plano, Texas Best Place for Staying Safe Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together. Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME  Portland, Ore. Best Place for a Healthy Environment Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city. Getty Images  Boston, Mass. Best Place for Health Care This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all. K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital  Provo and Orem, Utah Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease. Getty Images [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3682311/mindfulness-math/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3682311/mindfulness-math/"},"headline":"Mindfulness Exercises Improve Kids' Math Scores","datePublished":"2015-01-26T18:50:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:02.727Z","description":"Fourth and fifth graders who did mindfulness exercises had 15% better math scores than their peers","url":"https://time.com/3682311/mindfulness-math/","keywords":["Research","Meditation","mindfulness","Math","Mental Health/Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a277961c995eeab/69877f8a35ba6f260cc07194/child-math.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mandy Oaklander","jobTitle":"Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a277961c995eeab/69877f8a35ba6f260cc07194/child-math.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Child Math","caption":"Child Math","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3682311/mindfulness-math/","name":"Mindfulness Exercises Improve Kids' Math Scores"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"What's the Best Candy to Buy? 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