A child's brain has more connections than the entire internet! Check out this incredible video by the The Hawn Foundation. How do you engage with kids in your life?
BRAIN POWER/Mind Up - The Hawn Foundation
5 Reasons Kids Need to be Taught Meditation (by Earth We Are One)
The Benefits of Helping Preschoolers Understand and Discuss Their Emotions (by Deborah Farmer Kris)
How many parents, teachers, and grandparents out there are wading through episodes of kid-trantrums and meltdowns? What's the best way to handle them? Experts say that rather than just wait for kids to outgrow this phase, dive in with supportive emotional literacy training. And what exactly does that look like? This article gives a number of helpful and practical examples. The point—there are many benefits from teaching emotional literacy skills to young children. When they learn how to calm themselves down, use language to express their feelings and treat others with kindness, they are laying the foundation for future success and wellness.
'Awesome Is Everywhere' by Neil Pasricha
Awesome Is Everywhere by Neil Pasricha. This graphic and tactical adventure draws attention to the simple pleasures. Neil and his stellar team have zeroed in on the sense of gratitude and appreciation of all that’s AWESOME in the world. Don't you find that kids seem to gravitate to the general-awesomeness of their surroundings? This book hones in on this inherent spark and encourages kids (and grown ups) to take a mini-journey of awareness. Check it out and fly your mind to anywhere on the earth via a book!
Current Research on Mindfulness for Young People
If you want to do a deep dive into the research on the benefits of mindfulness for kids, this article is for you! Traditionally, science has directed its attention to studying the impact of mindfulness on adults only. Although we could make logical inferences for kids, there was not a lot of conclusive evidence. Enter a whole host of new research showing that mindfulness for kids can offer some truly distinct benefits...
How two minutes of mindfulness can calm a class and boost attainment (theguardian.com)
Mindfulness for kids: Learning emotional regulation in school (todaysparent.com)
Teaching Kids - and Parents - the Art of Mindfulness (The Washington Post)
With high-stakes tests beginning in some elementary schools, increasingly overscheduled afternoons and pressure to do more demanding extracurricular activities at ever-younger ages, many kids are feeling overwhelmed.
Mindfulness (or 'body fulness', as this article mentions) is proving to be a grounding influence to counteract all of this swirling stress...
