8-Year-Olds in Despair: The Mental Health Crisis Is Getting Younger (The New York Times)
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.
California's first surgeon general on the importance of reducing stress hormones in kids (NBC News)
California’s first surgeon general, Burke Harris, wants to solve problems at the root level and give kids the tools they need to combat stress. We know that kids are under more and more pressure - from hearing incessant coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, to higher expectations at school and at home, rampant social media stress, and dealing with family changes (like divorce or parental separation), there can be a pressure-cooker feeling - leading to biochemical changes in the brain and body, a surge in stress hormones, disrupted memory recall, focus and impulse control and increased risk of developing mental illness. In her congressional testimony, she cites a San Fransisco pilot program where students learn meditation to reduce stress. "What research tells us is that sleep, exercise, nutrition, mindfulness and a nurturing environment can reduce stress hormones and enhance the ability of the brain to recover from stress," Harris says.
An Astronaut's Guide to Optimism - Share with The Kids in Your Life!
At Kidevolve, we want kids to feel good inside everyday. As pressures and stresses abound at school, home, (and the endless, negative news cycle), it’s truly important to give kids real and uplifting data about the world we live in… so they can reflect on (and take in) all the positive things happening around us. Chris Hadfield is a superstar for positivity and focusing on what humankind does well. Show your kids this video and let it inspire the kinds of conversations for 2020 that build resilience, stamina, joy and compassion for others!
Mindfulness to be taught in 370 Schools in England (BrightVibes)
Happy 2020 everyone! We are excited to see that the UK is taking teaching kids mindfulness techniques very seriously. Hats off to the social and business leaders in England who have pushed this remarkable initiative forward; because of their efforts, the next generation of UK kids will be calmer, more able to deal with adversity/difficult emotions and more self-aware. Positioning kids for boosted EQ means the whole society reaps the rewards (with less antisocial behaviour, lower costs for treating mental health, lower crime and increased productivity). How great is this? Let’s allow this to be a template for all countries, so that kids can be empowered in this fundamental way.
3 Kid-Friendly Meditations Your Children Will Love (The Chopra Center)
Giving kids the tools to help them fend off negative thoughts and behaviors, build self-confidence, focus, and treat others and themselves with respect and appreciation is a gift they will have for the rest of their lives. Yet, less than 2% of kids in North America know how to meditate. Don’t know how to dive in? Try out these 3 simple practices to introduce kids to meditation and mindfulness… and don’t forget to check out what’s new in Kidevolve’s Imaginarium Podcast- first-of-their-kind audio tracks that get kids turned on to mindfulness in a totally novel, easy, super-fun way.
Kidevolve Imaginarium Podcast launches on Apple!
We’re so excited to announce (drum roll)… that our Creative Mind Journeys are finally live on Apple Podcasts! Thank you to all of our wonderful supporters, creative talent, business advisors and volunteers! Because of you, we’ve produced an incredible offering of free, first-of-their-kind audio tracks to get kids turned on to mindfulness in a totally novel way. We began this journey with love and a mighty vision, and we’ve received this back tenfold. Special shoutout to Jeff Warren - whose incredible spirit, creativity, meditative wizardry and extreme generosity has allowed us to hone our style and expand our blueprint with tons of integrity. Much gratitude also goes out to Hope, Sophia, Jason, Amy, Christine, Marni, Alex, Nick, Kathleen, Sonja, Ella, Connor and Michael - all early champions and essential contributors to where we are today.
So…. to get started, go to the Kidevolve Imaginarium Podcast in Apple Podcasts and click on Subscribe. Then, grab some kids aged 6-12 (preferably ones you know) and have a listen to our latest selection of tracks - now re-organized into courses to address key EQ learning areas like Self-Control, Sleep, Resilience and Empathy!
10 year old Kidevolve kid-tester Ella interviews Jeff Warren!
Ever wondered what it takes to create one of Kidevolve’s super engaging Creative Mind Journey audio tracks or why kids like them so much? Check out our second podcast where 10 year old Ella Davies interviews our lead creator Jeff Warren about his favourite Kidevolve characters and why he thinks learning mindfulness is cool for kids of all ages.
Jeff and Ella find a comfortable groove, chatting and sharing information about why mindfulness is important and how it can help kids learn more about what’s going on inside.
Learn To Meditate With Mallika Chopra’s New Book, "Just Breathe" (New York family)
Groundbreaking study examines effects of screen time on kids (60 Minutes - CBS News)
We’ve long suspected that regular iPad use and today’s multidimensional video games might have negative impacts on kids, especially when they’re young. Now we know this to be true and we cannot ignore it. Vastly differentiated from the passive television watching of the not-so-distant past, today’s tech is DESIGNED to get kids addicted, keep them needing more and leaving them feeling isolated and depressed. If there was ever a time to reduce screen time in your household, it’s now. The data is in. As a more healthy alternative, try giving kids new exposures like Kidevolve’s Creative Mind Journeys (our wildly silly, super fun mindfulness audio tracks), or Tinkercast’s Wow in the World podcasts (delivering science though amazing, compelling audio journeys). In both cases, kids can still use tech as the delivery platform… but now, wee imaginations are truly encouraged to expand, problem solve, test and unfurl! Watch the change in positive behaviour (and inner joy) after only a few audio exposures, and ask kids how they feel by contrast. Their answers might surprise you, Thank you 60 Minutes and Anderson Cooper for such excellent, valuable reporting!