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Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom: Simple Tools for the New School Year

by Suzanne Tucker

Social emotional learning starts in everyday classroom moments. Explore simple SEL strategies teachers can use to build emotional literacy, support regulation, strengthen relationships, and create a classroom where children feel safe, understood, and ready to learn.

Woman kneeling to comfort a young boy, with illustrated hands exchanging a gray cloud for a red heart in the background

Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement: A Guide for Parents

by Alex Petrou

Learn how positive vs. negative reinforcement influence your parenting style and the ways positive reinforcers can support your child’s development.

Mother comforting her highly sensitive teenage son during an emotional moment, illustrating parental support, empathy, and teen mental health.

Helping Your Highly Sensitive Child Gain Confidence

by Rebecca Eanes

When our children are highly sensitive, rejection and criticism hurt more deeply. They get embarrassed easily and have strong emotional reactions, which can make them the target for bullying. Here are 5 tools to boost your child's confidence.

Woman looking at an old childhood photo of herself, surrounded by illustrated hearts and clouds

Healing From A Childhood You Don't Remember

by Ashley Patek

While we may not remember our childhood with our mind and verbal words, our body keeps the score and stores the information it receives from our formative years, namely which parts of us to grow and which to shrink. These downloads show up as patterns in adulthood and in our parenting. Read more.

Woman with eyes closed and hand on her chest, staying calm, with a flower graphic beside her

9 Mantras I Use When Low On Patience With My Kids

by Ashley Patek

Mantras can change the wiring of our brain and create a new lens to see ourselves, our kids, and the world at large. Here are 9 parenting mantras I use when low on patience with my kids.

of two young girls/ siblings fighting, one pulling hair

End Sibling Rivalry And Bring Peace Into Your Home

by Ashley Patek

Siblings are natural competitors for attachment, bidding for our love and attention. Here's 3 Parenting Do's and Don'ts when it comes to sibling relationships.

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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.

child smiling broadly and looking confidently at small cards they are holding

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.

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.

How To Connect With Your Toddler Emotionally While Weaning From Breastfeeding

by Ashley Patek

Breastfeeding is such a sacred time, and sometimes we fear that weaning will cause us to lose our connection. But that doesn't have to be the case. Here is how you can connect with your child while weaning.

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.

Homeless Families In The Age Of The Coronavirus

by Ashley Patek

Read about how the coronavirus is affecting the homeless population and what we can do to help.

Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder and How It Can Impact a Child’s Social and Emotional Development

by Ashley Martin

SPD is a neurological condition that affects how an individual processes and responds to sensory information from the environment. Sensory inputs encompass various experiences, including touch, taste, smell, sight, sound, and movement. SPD can significantly affect a child’s social and emotional development. Early childhood educators play a pivotal role in recognizing, understanding, and supporting children with SPD.

For Early Childhood Classroom: Teaching to the Whole Child

Applying The Five Developmental Domains of Learning to the Early Childhood Classroom: Teaching to the Whole Child

by Ashley Martin

Developmental domains contribute uniquely to a child's overall well-being and success. By addressing these domains, educators create a solid foundation for students to build their knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Juggling Big Emotions

by Jessica Zodicoff

As a seven-year-old girl, I remember my grandpa coming over for the holidays and juggling whatever fruit he could find in our kitchen. He taught me to juggle using not lemons, but just three tissues. The fruit was too big for my little-girl hands, but like a set of training wheels, I practiced with those tissues until...

Study Finds That Emotional Intelligence Moves the Needle on Academic Success

by Ashley Patek

A new study describes emotional intelligence as an important part of academic success from kindergarten into college.

6 Tips for Using Yoga to Support Social-Emotional Inclusion

by Ashley Patek

Sierra has struggled to cultivate language for how her disability impacts her own social-emotional development and how it impacts her experiences at school. This struggle has been a barrier to Sierra’s ability to create positive relationships with her classmates.

Effective Parenting: Embracing Discipline Over Punishment

by Ashley Martin

Many individuals mistakenly equate punishment and discipline, assuming they are interchangeable terms. However, a closer examination reveals that they hold distinct meanings and approaches.

Three Ways To Stop Misbehavior

by Rebecca Eanes

When time-outs didn't work, this mom turned to three things, and it stopped her child's misbehavior.

What Teachers Are Thinking and Feeling About Returning To School This Year

by Ashley Patek

With fall approaching, parents and educators are looking to the next school year and wondering what’s best for everyone involved.

Strengthening Your Child's Emotional Intelligence Through Valentine's Day

by Ashley Patek

Soon, all across the nation, children will partake in Valentine’s Day rituals such as sharing cards, treats, and friendly exchanges. For many children, this is a fun and exciting experience, however, for just as many, Valentine’s Day can be filled with stress, anxiety, and fear. Here are 4 ways to use social-emotional practices for all children this Valentine's Day.

Am I Raising A Pathological Liar?

by Ashley Patek

Worried you are raising a pathological liar? You are not alone. Not only is some degree of lying normal for children, but it is a healthy sign of their developing brain. Read more.

Spanking Children Is Still Common and Still Harmful

by Ashley Patek

Research has shown the long-term effects of spanking on a child's mental, emotional, sexual and behavioral outcomes. And the impact of these negative childhood experiences can directly influence and run the narrative of our adulthood. Read more.

Who Needs a Laugh?

by Ashley Patek

In the face of COVID-19, Generation Mindful spreads some light-hearted humor with a post for parents that went viral.

happy family (black and white) decorating a large, lit Christmas tree

Santa and The Elf On The Shelf Are Magical Until Used For Behavior Modification

by Ashley Patek

Our words matter, and when we sing songs and play along with the notion that “you better be good... you better not cry. I’m telling you why” — aka you won’t get any presents — we are sending some pretty damaging messages to young children.

From Classroom to Home: One Teacher's Journey to Positive Parenting

by Ashley Patek

After maternity leave, I decide to shift from my role as a teacher of an academic classroom to that of teaching our “one and only.” My full momma heart told me that I would nail it. I mean, how hard could it be to teach one child when I had taught so many?