Mindful Moments Blog
Mindful Moments Blog
by Ashley Patek
on Nov 19 2019
Rather than storing unwanted toys in the closet, this year give the children on your list meaningful memories instead. Here are six connection-based gift ideas for ages two and up that we love for the holidays.
Mindful Moments Blog
How One Child Learned To Manage His Emotions By Watching His Sister
by Ashley Patek
on Nov 15 2019
With the use of the Time-In-Toolkit and SnuggleBuddies Plush Toys, one child learned how to manage his emotions by modeling his older sister.
Mindful Moments Blog
Two Men and a Tantruming Toddler
by Alex Petrou
on Oct 30 2019
Kids can break into full-on tantrums at the drop of a hat, and nearly every parent has been where actor Justin Baldoni found himself on Father's Day. How can we release fear of judgement and be with our tantruming toddler during their time of need?
Mindful Moments Blog
Creating a Calming Corner for Small Spaces
by Ashley Patek
on Aug 26 2019
Calming Corners of all sizes and styles are celebrated because what matters is that you opened the box. Here is how to make a calming space for small spaces.
Mindful Moments Blog
by Jessica Zodicoff
on Aug 20 2019
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...
Mindful Moments Blog
Why Using A Behavior Chart Is Ineffective
by Ashley Patek
on Aug 14 2019
Before you decide to add to or continue using behavioral management charts, let's take a closer look at the undesirable side-effects. Read more.
Mindful Moments Blog
Calming Spaces for Muggles, Wizards and Eight-Year-Old Girls Alike
by Alex Petrou
on Jan 30 2019
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.
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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
Teaching Emotional Intelligence and College Students as Change-Makers
by Alex Petrou
on Nov 13 2018
Dr. Meghan Gillette, a professor in the field of Human Development and Human Studies at Iowa State University, shares the latest research on nurturing emotional intelligence in children ages 5 to 12, how she uses Team-Based Learning and her insights on teaching social and emotional skills to the next generation.
Mindful Moments Blog
Enhancing Emotional Development to Treat Child Depression
by Alex Petrou
on Sep 13 2018
A recent study shows that focusing on the parent-child relationship and enhancing emotional development may be a powerful and low-risk approach to the treatment of depression.
Mindful Moments Blog
On Peace Tents, Healing the Generations and Motherhood
by Alex Petrou
on May 13 2018
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Every child wants to know, do you see my light even when I’m not shining it?
