Teachers know how hard it is to keep all of their students focused and on task. A quiet, calm classroom where students study diligently is often seen as an impossible dream. While essential oils aren’t a magical cure for kids’ craziness, certain oils can help increase focus, concentration, calm and an overall sense of well-being, says Laurie von Holt, an essential oil wellness advocate.
Before diffusing essential oils in your classroom, check with your school administrators, school nurse, and parents. While the oils are completely safe for most children, you want to make sure that none of your students have allergies or medical conditions that would adversely affect the oils. You should also look for unadulterated oils, such as DoTerra, so that you are diffusing only pure oils.
If you give me permission, I’ll share some quick facts about specific oils and their effects in various classrooms, so please take a look.
Disclaimer: This article Not sponsored or endorsed by any essential oil company or essential oil distributor.
1. Improve your focus
lemon
If you’re looking for an oil that has multiple benefits at the same time, lemon is a great choice. Lemon oil not only calms students and helps them concentrate on their studies, but it also boosts the immune system and helps prevent infections. What’s more, adding a few drops of lemon oil to a diffuser may help students feel calmer and lift their mood.
lime
Like lemon, lime oil has a mental clarity effect, making it perfect for helping students focus during fast-paced lessons.
orange
Like lemon oil, orange oil can help with focus, but it also has memory-boosting properties: Try diffusing a bit of orange oil while your student is learning new spelling words or working on math memorization.
grapefruit
Like other citrus oils, grapefruit oil can help improve focus, but it can also help elevate your mood. Grapefruit oil also helps improve your immune system and keeps the air in your classroom smelling fresh and clean.
Rosemary
Not only does rosemary smell great, it’s also one of the most recommended oils for improving focus and memory – the scent is so strong that just a few drops will do the trick.
Vetiver
Vetiver has three great benefits in the classroom: it improves focus, calms the mind, and relieves anxiety.
frankincense
Not only does this oil smell great, it also helps children to focus and improve mental function, improves memory and relieves anxiety.
Focus-enhancing oil blend
To improve focus, try a blend of three drops rosemary, three drops lime, two drops frankincense, and two drops peppermint.
2. Increase students’ motivation to learn
peppermint
If your students need a pick-me-up or you’re struggling to motivate them to work, place a few drops of peppermint in your classroom diffuser. Peppermint is an energizing oil that can energize kids who are feeling a bit down. If you or your students have a headache, peppermint can help ease the pain. It can also help with breathing.
Ginger
Adding a few drops of ginger oil to a classroom diffuser can improve students’ memory, so try diffusing it while they study for a test or when presenting new information.
Wild Orange
Like peppermint, wild orange is an energizing oil that can help stimulate creativity and productivity, improve focus, and relieve mental fatigue.
Spanish wise men
When presenting new information or asking students to recall something they have already learned, add a few drops of Spanish Sage to your diffuser. It helps improve intellectual ability, memory, recall, and attention.
Classroom Motivation Blend
To motivate your students, try a blend of three drops of peppermint and three drops of wild orange, or add one drop each of rosemary, basil, lime, bergamot and ginger to boost memory.
3. Calm down a noisy class
lavender
Lavender is one of the most common and well-known essential oils, with a pleasant, calming scent. Diffusing lavender in the classroom can help students feel more grounded by reducing stress and promoting relaxation. Putting a few drops of lavender oil in a diffuser right after recess or PE can help students calm down and get back into classroom mode.
Bergamot
This oil has a fruity, floral scent. The plant is one of the main ingredients in Earl Grey tea. A few drops of bergamot can calm students and reduce agitation. It can also increase a sense of well-being and ease symptoms of anxiety.
Cedarwood
This oil has a natural scent and helps to ease feelings of anxiety, calm the mind and bring mental clarity.
Douglas Fir
Douglas fir is another natural scented oil that can help clear mental confusion and calm children.
A blend to calm a noisy class
Create a calming atmosphere for your class with two drops of lavender and two drops of bergamot. Another calming blend is three drops of lavender and two drops of cedarwood.
4. Keep yourself and your students healthy
cinnamon
Cinnamon is another powerful oil that can mask other odors in the classroom, and it also has antibacterial and antiviral properties, helping to kill germs in the classroom and keeping students healthy.
cloves
Clove is another oil that has antibacterial and antiviral properties, helping to reduce germs in your classroom and keeping it smelling good. It may also improve memory. Simply add a few drops of clove oil to your diffuser to experience these benefits.
eucalyptus
As the colder weather makes its way into the classroom, eucalyptus oil is handy to have on hand. When diffused, it helps relieve the symptoms of a stuffy nose thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. Any teacher knows that kids with a stuffy nose have trouble concentrating, so indirectly, eucalyptus may help students stay focused on their assignments.
Melaleuca (Tea Tree)
The oil cleanses and purifies the air in classrooms. Melaleuca also has calming and soothing properties for stuffy noses, colds and coughs.
Healthy Classroom Blend
Try combining five drops of melaleuca with four drops of clove, or mix three drops of melaleuca, two drops of lavender, and two drops of lemon to keep germs at bay.
Mix with oils for a stronger effect
Using just one oil at a time can be effective, but mixing multiple oils can provide even more benefit to your students. When the class is getting a little pumped, diffuse lavender and bergamot together. To motivate the class, mix a few drops of peppermint with a citrus oil. If some of your students are not feeling well, diffuse a mix of cinnamon, clove and melaleuca. If your students need help thinking and calming down, try a mix of lemon, peppermint and vetiver.
Another great technique to try in the classroom is to choose an oil to diffuse during the instructional portion of the lesson. When you test students on that material, diffuse the same oil. This helps promote memory connections.
Regardless of which oils you choose to diffuse in your classroom, your students will benefit.
