Mindful Moments Blog

5 Ways To Use Positive Affirmations With Kids

Mindful Moments Blog

5 Ways To Use Positive Affirmations With Kids

by Ashley Patek
Positive affirmations help build a child's learning brain to nurture self-awareness, self-esteem, problem-solving, and emotional regulation. Here are 5 ways to use affirmations with kids so they'll stick.
social emotional awareness examples of image with the father and child looking at the tablet

Mindful Moments Blog

A Parent's Guide to Social Emotional Awareness

by Suzanne Tucker
Have you ever had an argument with your child over picking up their toys? You may have asked them once or twice, or even ten times to just pick them up. You start to feel very frustrated and tiresome and you begin to notice that as you grow more angry, so does your child. 
Children Don't Have Standardized Minds. Let's Quit Testing Them As If They Do.

Mindful Moments Blog

Children Don't Have Standardized Minds. Let's Quit Testing Them As If They Do.

by Ashley Patek
Our kids who are daydreaming or squirming in their seats or not listening or who show poor impulse control are being told that they are not behaving in ways that conform to the classroom. But perhaps their brain is not built for the standardized classroom. What if school looked like this instead?
What If My Partner Talked To Me That Way?

Mindful Moments Blog

What If My Partner Talked To Me That Way?

by Ashley Patek
In the early years, we are the definitions of love for our children. Our behavior and words outline what is acceptable and what isn’t. Our response informs them of how to treat others and sets the pace for their own self-worth. Ask yourself, "What if my partner talked to me/treated me in the way I do my children?" What would come up for you?
Use Time-Ins To Decrease Defiance

Mindful Moments Blog

Use Time-Ins To Decrease Defiance

by Rebecca Eanes
Want to decrease defiance? It isn't through punishment and Time-Outs. The answer is in Time-Ins, and here's why. 
Social-Emotional Support For Military Families and Their Children

Mindful Moments Blog

Social-Emotional Support For Military Families and Their Children

by Guest Author
Generation Mindful® is excited to be in partnership with US Military Family Support Services in bringing our play-based social-emotional skill-building tools, toys, and parent education programs to military families with children ages 2 to 10. Here is a brief overview of the program by Generation Mindful's founder, Suzanne Tucker: In this next video, learn more about the science behind the Time-In ToolKit® Bundle you will receive, including: The Time-In ToolKit® SnuggleBuddies Emotions Plush Hearts Treasure Hunt Children's Book Positive Parenting Online Course In the following video, Generation Mindful's founder explains the brain science behind the company's strength's-based approach and why these positive, play-based educational tools and parent education programs outperform punitive methods when it comes to teaching children vital social-emotional skills: The following video on SnuggleBuddies Emotions Plush opens with Amanda, a military mom of two, sharing her family's experience using the plush to manage some big feelings and challenging behaviors her children were showing when her husband deployed: And to show the appropriateness of these tools for tots to tweens, here is Meghan, age 10, sharing how she created a calming space her the Time-In ToolKit® Bundle.  Listen in as she explains how she uses the tools, including the PeaceMakers Mindfulness Card Deck and her calming corner posters to regulate her emotions: We hope you will join us in this new program, bringing support to military families via play-based early emotional learning tools, parent education, and support. _____________________ This sponsored program is being offered for FREE to a limited number of military families at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on a first-come, first-served basis. Join us, and start creating more connection, cooperation, joy, and resilience in your home. For more information, check out this flyer and/or email Julie Hohe at support@genmindful.com for details.
Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Learning

Mindful Moments Blog

Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Learning

by Suzanne Tucker
In her work as a school counselor with young children and tweens/teens, Dusha Cecil wishes her district had used Generation Mindful social and emotional learning (SEL) materials years ago, to develop the language and “permission to feel” for a diverse population of students starting in preschool when they were ages three and four.  In this video, Ms. Cecil shares her experience of using GEN:M tools for early emotional education in the classroom setting: Among other experiences, Ms. Cecil shares her experience of working with young students, and the many black male teens she supports in therapy that struggle to be sensitive or express their feelings.  Using Generation Mindful tools to "have these conversations and create safe spaces for children makes them feel safe at school, makes them want to learn from their teachers, makes them want to do better, and encourages them to start envisioning their future." She has tremendous hope for GEN:M tools to lessen the school-to-prison pipeline by giving children of color, particularly boys, a voice and the permission and space they need to express their feelings starting in preschool. Colby Heckendorn, the former principal of Patrick Henry Downtown Academy in the City of St. Louis, and the Executive Director & Co-Founder of Atlas Public Schools oversaw the implementation of GEN:M products and curriculum with his diverse staff of early childhood and elementary educators and students at Patrick Henry Downtown Academy.  In his letter of support for Generation Mindful, Heckendorn shared how his diverse team of 11 K to 5th-grade educators felt the tools seamlessly embedded SEL into their everyday classroom activities.  "Generation Mindful provides amazing programs and tools that can help educators seamlessly embed SEL into their everyday practices. I have seen first hand how easy it was for our teachers to utilize these resources and have been astonished by our results."  - Colby Heckendorn, Executive Director & Co-Founder Atlas Public Schools Diversity, equity, inclusion, and amplifying voices of color are priorities for Generation Mindful.  There is a connection between punishment-based discipline, lost class time, and the many inequitable early childhood education suspensions happening on a daily basis that fuel the school-to-prison pipeline.  GEN:M tools educate rather than punish children who are still learning to regulate, strengthening social-emotional skills for a lifetime of health and well-being. They are inclusive, easy to use, and foster a supportive classroom climate for caring teachers to establish trusting relationships where students can feel emotionally safe, motivated, challenged, and have a sense of belonging.  The tools complement the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions Model developed by Dr. Ross Greene - driven by the belief that “kids do well if they can.” When maladaptive behaviors occur, educators use time-ins to identify and build lagging skills rather than punitive methods such as time-outs, or being sent out of the classroom. To learn more about using GEN:M tools to support social and emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom with the opportunity to bridge the learning into the home, visit here. Classroom Time-In ToolKit® Bundle 0 Reviews $149.00 $238.00 Save $89.00 GENM's social-emotional learning (SEL) tools take a positive, relationship-based approach to nurturing emotional intelligence in the classroom. Our ... View Product trauma-informed restorative discipline inclusion emotional intelligence classroom management
Why Time-Outs Increase Power Struggles

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Time-Outs Increase Power Struggles

by Ashley Patek
When your child misbehaves, how do you respond? Here is why Time-Outs increase power struggles and what you can do instead. 
Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys

Mindful Moments Blog

Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys

by Rebecca Eanes
Forcing boys to repress their emotions is quite literally killing them, leaving lasting mental and physical health implications. Here are 4 things we can do to free our boys and men from social constructs of man up, toughen up, and dry up. 
3 Powerful Ways Parents Can Break The Cycle Of Emotional Wounding

Mindful Moments Blog

3 Powerful Ways Parents Can Break The Cycle Of Emotional Wounding

by Catherine Liggett
Want to react to your children less with yelling, lecturing, and punitive measures - to parent differently than you were parented? This is how we break the cycle.
They Saw A Bratty Kid, But That Wasn't The Whole Story

Mindful Moments Blog

They Saw A Bratty Kid, But That Wasn't The Whole Story

by Ashley Patek
What they saw was a bratty child. A clingy child. A spoiled child. And underneath it all, they saw a mother who wasn’t doing it right. But that wasn't the whole story. Our behaviors were communication for so much more.
Acts Of Service Boosts Emotional Intelligence. Here's How.

Mindful Moments Blog

Acts Of Service Boosts Emotional Intelligence. Here's How.

by Ashley Patek
Toddlers and teens alike have brains that are going through major biological transformations and family rituals like volunteering can help nurture their social-emotional intelligence. Here are 10 acts of service to do as a family this holiday season. 
That's Not How I Was Parented

Mindful Moments Blog

That's Not How I Was Parented

by Ashley Patek
We took a look at common parenting practices of the past to compare how we were parented to how we parent. And here is what we found. 
Building Resilience Through Connection

Mindful Moments Blog

Building Resilience Through Connection

by Ashley Patek
Children are wired to bounce back from trauma when they have protective factors in place. Through connection with a supportive adult, and through increasing their social-emotional skills, a child's health and development can tip towards positive outcomes.
5 Parenting Hacks For Getting Through A Day With Kids

Mindful Moments Blog

5 Parenting Hacks For Getting Through A Day With Kids

by Ashley Patek
Looking to make it through the day without yelling, power struggles or the dreaded parenting guilt? Stop what you're doing and check out these 5 simple (and effective) parenting hacks!
When Your Kids Are Not Listening: From Yelling To Connection

Mindful Moments Blog

When Your Kids Are Not Listening: From Yelling To Connection

by Ashley Patek
When your kids are not listening it can feel like your only tool is to yell. Here are some tips on how to shift from yelling to connection during times of misbehavior.