8-Year-Olds in Despair: The Mental Health Crisis Is Getting Younger (The New York Times)
12 Calming Exercises for Little Ones (Connecticut Children’s Pediatric)
Dive Into Kid's Wellbeing in this Knowledgehook Roundtable!
Last week, Kidoevolve founder Kirsten Chase had the opportunity to participate in Knowledgehook’s Leadership Series on Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing. It was a rich discussion, with host Jennifer Adams and parenting experts Alyson Schafer and Jennifer Kolari (bios below). They covered an interesting mix of current and key aspects of children’s health and school experiences - including the idea that learning mindfulness early in life can bring about positive and powerful wellbeing outcomes for kids, their families and society at large! If you didn’t get a chance to watch live, check it out here!
Breathing to Reduce Stress - Calling all Parents, Teachers & Kids
The easiest and quickest way to calm an anxious mind is to breathe in and breathe out. But if you find “breath work” boring, you’re not alone! Here’s a shortlist of techniques we love, so you can find the one that’s easy and right for you. Scan this list and try a few. Then, teach your kids and students! As always, most kids pick up on these techniques effortlessly (when compared with adults). If you teach children while they’re young, you give them crucial EQ skills to draw on for life.
Anxiety and Coping With the Coronavirus (Child Mind Institute)
The Child Mind Institute’s experts say that dealing with your own anxiety can be the most powerful way to make sure your kids feel secure. If you or your children are feeling worried, learning how to deal with that anxiety in a healthy way can help the whole family be more resilient, both now and when the pandemic is finally over.
Deepak Chopra: on how to not be overwhelmed by fear and anxiety
Fear, unease and anxiety around the current COVID-19 pandemic remains constant, and can cause strong emotions in adults and children. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.
When parents have strategies to stay calm, kids can stay calm… and Dr. Deepak Chopra has lots to say on this topic.
Families are interrelated systems and kids take cues from how parents position information, their tone of voice, their sense of urgency… and their overall optimism. Even in the presence of great challenge.
Dr. Deepak Chopra talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how to cope with the global threat posed by coronavirus, the parallel "pandemic of panic," and how to not be overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. Comparing it to past pandemics and wars, he says the COVID-19 outbreak is an invitation to stop denying our shared humanity and finally recognize our power to use our creativity to save ourselves.
Listen to this insightful and calming podcast here…
The Big Question: How Can Kids Practice Kindness From Home? (National Geographic)
As nerves understandably become a bit frazzled the longer we stay at home together, one thing seems to help: practicing kindness. Studies report that showing compassion or gratitude can boost those feel-good hormones (serotonin and dopamine) in your brain. So encouraging children to bring a snack to someone without being asked or to give a random hug to an annoying sibling isn’t simply being nice—it might also be helping to boost their mental health.
Rethinking your child’s relationship with screens during the pandemic (National Geographic)
Astronauts know how to handle isolation: Tips from NASA astronauts (Space.com)
NASA astronauts know a thing or two about isolation, and kids will benefit from understanding how much time, thought and preparation goes into this activity alone. From preparing in advance for new pressures on interpersonal relationships and working to strengthen communication and awareness (especially when school and programs are postponed, placing parents, caregivers and kids in MUCH more regular contact), to the power of staying positive in our newly confined environments (TIP - focus on others and help kids think about a way to have "a higher purpose"), devising robust mental strategies in advance can help lessen anxiety and stress while bolstering self-regulation at every age.
Re-meet Jeff Warren - One of Kidevolve's magical creators!
One of the reasons kids dig our Creative Mind Journeys is that our creators come from all walks of life and bring their own passions, interests and styles to delivering life stories that double as guided practices. We want kids to have variety, spice, fun and creative freedom as they learn key self-regulation techniques. Point in case? Jeff Warren. Go to Kidevolve’s Imaginarium Podcast on Apple to check out three awesome CMJs created by Jeff - Can of Delight, Space Suit and Calmland!