Mindful Moments Blog

When Partners Disagree: Tools For Parenting On The Same Page

by Ashley Patek

Parenting disagreements are not uncommon, especially with so many different parenting ideologies out there. So, how can parents get on the same page?

Mindful Moments Blog

A Parent's Guide: Meditate With Toddlers And Teens To Improve Emotional Intelligence And Resilience

by Ashley Patek

Even though today’s kids exhibit elevated levels of restlessness, stress, and anxiety, only 1.6% of children in the U.S. meditate. Here are the benefits of meditation on the developing brain and how parents can practice meditation with kids at every age.

Teacher using PeaceMakers cards during circle time

Mindful Moments Blog

Teaching Academics and Social-Emotional Skills in the Montessori Classroom

by Ashley Patek

Emily Canibano, a Montessori teacher with a classroom of 16 students ranging in age from 1.2 to 5.5 years, was looking for a way to teach social-emotional skills in her classroom, both in feeling emotions and in the safe expression of them.

Mindful Moments Blog

Reducing Toddler Tantrums

by Alex Petrou

One family’s journey using time-ins to manage their toddler's big feelings, going from 33 to 3 tantrums a day in just one week.

Children sharing feelings with SnuggleBuddies during classroom morning meeting

Mindful Moments Blog

Morning Meetings and Connecting a Classroom

by Ashley Patek

A the school counselor shares how her school transformed its classroom culture by using SnuggleBuddies plush toys to teach students about their emotions.

Mindful Moments Blog

Heart's Treasure Hunt Storytime

by Suzanne Tucker

Join Generation Mindful founder, Suzanne Tucker, for a fun, interactive reading of Heart's Treasure Hunt, our best-selling children's book where Heart goes on an adventure to discover "what is love and where does love live?..." The answer might just surprise you! Download this FREE PRINTABLE to color with the children in your home or classroom after storytime. Have Your Own Storytime & Make Learning About Emotions FUN! Heart SnuggleBuddies Emotions Plush & Book Bundle 0 Reviews $52.00 Buy today and receive a FREE Feelings Journal (see below)! The perfect addition to any Calming Corner, Heart is our newest SnuggleBuddies Emotions Plush... View Product model to learn Play to Learn inner child emotions emotional intelligence yoga kids Children's books Impulse Control Raising Toddlers social emotional skills

calming spaces for 8 year old girls alike

Mindful Moments Blog

Calming Spaces for Muggles, Wizards and Eight-Year-Old Girls Alike

by Alex Petrou

Wisdom. Emotional intelligence. Maturity. These words typically conjure up the image of someone older than you. Perhaps it’s someone you know and revere for their persistent nature and kind soul. That person for me is Elizabeth: an 8-year-old I’ve only just met. Older than me? Not by a long shot. A person from whom I could learn from? Absolutely. Elizabeth and her mom reside in St. Louis, and I was lucky enough to speak with them very recently about their enjoyment of their products from Generation Mindful. Not only was it encouraging to hear they were well-loved already, but there was a tone in this young girl’s voice that stopped me dead in my tracks: she was fully embracing the mindfulness mindset, and was already self-aware enough to speak with me about her own growth and life today. Elizabeth answered the phone when I called and did so with so much gusto that I thought I was speaking to her mom, Tracy, instead! We chatted Harry Potter, and our shared love of his adventures and magical stories bonded us immediately. She, without a doubt, is a Gryffindor: she was happy to share this fact with me, and even pointed me in the direction of the sorting hat if I wanted to do so myself. I assured her I’m a longtime Hufflepuff and noted that we work well together. She reminded me we all can. The mother-daughter duo then proceeded to tell me more about the magical Calming Corner they’ve set up in their basement, in a little room below the stairs: just like a certain big-feeling boy Elizabeth and I both know quite well. It was previously used for storage, but once they received their posters and toolkit from Generation Mindful, their collective lightbulb went off and they just knew that space would be better used as Elizabeth’s very own Calming Corner. In it, she’s incorporated her toolbox of helpful things: some stuffed poodles, some coloring utensils, a small pad for her drawings and doodlings. She tells me that it makes her happy and to feel calm, and her mom also chuckles and notes that she’s spoken with the poodles a time or two when she needed to vent as well; and that it really, truly helps them to have that space. Making an area an inviting haven for comfort, peace, and love means it will be used. It will be loved, and much reflection and growth can happen there as well. Sometimes we need a place that is all our own, with tools made with those big feelings in mind. Dumbledore famously said to his protege Mr. Potter, “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?” We can’t help but agree. _____________ Generation Mindful creates tools, toys, and programs that nurture emotional intelligence through play and positive discipline. Join us and receive joy in your inbox each week.

Mindful Moments Blog

Children Will Never Forget

by Suzanne Tucker

Safe, powerful, connected. Supported, nurtured, and seen. These are just some of the ways we want our children to feel.

Mindful Moments Blog

The Ultimate Guide To Building A Calming Corner And Using Time-Ins At Home

by Ashley Patek

How do you say goodbye to time-outs and introduce time-ins? This is the ultimate guide on the do's and don'ts for building and using a Calming Corner.

Mindful Moments Blog

When Your Child Fears The Coronavirus: 8 Tips for Taming Anxiety

by Ashley Patek

As a parent, what do you do when your child has fears that feel out of their control - things like viral outbreaks and global warming? Learn 8 tips for taming fears and anxieties through connection.

Mindful Moments Blog

St. Louis Mom’s Alternative To Timeouts Turns Into Multi-Million Dollar Business

by Ashley Patek

Parenting during a pandemic has its challenges, but there’s something that can help those with younger children thanks to a St. Louis mom.

Mindful Moments Blog

Two Words That Soothe A Child’s Heart

by Rebecca Eanes

Our connection matters. Our children feel it. They need it. They need to know that, no matter what transpired today, no matter what was said, no matter what was spilled or knocked over or broken or uttered, we are good.

mother and father comforting a child in the office of her therapist

Mindful Moments Blog

It Takes a Village: Raising Children in a Connected World

by Ashley Martin

As we all know, it takes a village to raise a child. Generation Mindful is committed to being a part of that village as we provide support to those who need it most while offering assistance in nurturing their children’s development. This is one of the reasons why we provide an online learning portal known as The Village. It offers complimentary access to Generation Mindful’s early emotional education and positive childrearing resources for parents, caregivers, and educators.

Raising Mindful Children During The Age Of Black Lives Matter

Mindful Moments Blog

Raising Awake Children in the Age of Black Lives Matter

by Ashley Patek

Our country is standing at a pivoting point. #BlackLivesMatter is the anthem and our nation is singing in the face of injustice. For all lives to matter, black lives must matter.

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Behavior Charts Don't Work For Most Kids

by Ashley Patek

Behavior charts have been widely used over the past thirty years and while they may achieve the short-term goal of obedience, they miss the long-term goal of building the brain for life-long skills.

Mindful Moments Blog

4 Guiding Principles for Parents Teaching From Home

by Alex Petrou

Four tips to help parents create meaningful and effective in-home learning opportunities during the pandemic.

Mindful Moments Blog

The Power of Positive Affirmations for Kids

by Ashley Patek

Get 51 positive affirmations for kids that you can start using today. Plus, learn how they work, why they work, and fun ways to implement them at home.

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.

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