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Helping children manage big emotions doesn’t have to be complicated. A calm corner is a simple, effective way to give kids the tools they need to pause, reset, and return to what they’re doing feeling more grounded. Our Digital Calm Corner Printable Tool Kit makes it easy to set up a calm space anywhere—at home, in the classroom, or in a counseling setting. What Is a Calm Corner? A calm corner is a dedicated space where children can go to regulate their emotions in a safe, su

Deep Breaths + Counting: A Simple Way to Help Kids Calm Their Bodies

Summer is a great time for families to slow down, connect, and practice mindfulness together. Simple activities like mindful walks, sunshine breathing, cloud watching, gratitude jars, and barefoot grounding can help children build calm, focus, and emotional awareness in a fun, natural way. Mindfulness does not have to be complicated—it can start with one breath, one quiet moment, or one small pause in the day.

Breathing is one of the simplest ways to help the body reset. When children feel overwhelmed, excited, worried, or unfocused, slow mindful breathing can send a calming message to the nervous system. It helps the heart slow down, the body relax, and the brain refocus. Instead of telling children to “calm down,” breathing practices give them a tool they can actually use to regulate their emotions, pause before reacting, and return to a steady place.

Mental Health Awareness Month is an important reminder that mental wellness is not only about responding to challenges after they happen — it is also about creating daily habits that help support the brain and body before stress becomes overwhelming. Preventive mental health can look like: slowing down creating mindful routines building emotional awareness practicing movement getting adequate rest learning healthy coping tools taking time to breathe One of the simplest and mo

Easy and Fun Yoga Games for Kids!

Mindfulness and social emotional learning don’t have to be separate lessons—they can be woven into what you’re already teaching. Even a simple math activity, like graphing favorite mantras, can build both data skills and student confidence. When students reflect, share, and connect during everyday subjects, they’re not just learning content—they’re developing the emotional tools that support focus, resilience, and overall well-being.

At Mindful Minutes and Challenge to Change, Inc., we know that funding is often the biggest barrier to bringing meaningful resources into classrooms. While we do not offer grants directly, we are committed to helping educators find outside funding opportunities—and giving you ideas for how to use them in a way that truly supports your students. Featured Grant: Classroom Champions Teacher Mini-Grant We recently came across a grant opportunity through the Ottumwa Legacy Foundat

Children often believe that what they think is true—but thoughts aren’t always facts. In this post, learn how to help kids understand the difference between thoughts and feelings, and how simple tools like mantras and mantra cards can support emotional awareness and regulation.

By Molly Schreiber, Founder of Mindful Minutes for Schools "The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself...

Written by Laci Hoffmann, Mindful Education in Schools Instructor Did you know that your brain weighs just about three pounds, yet is...

Mindful Minutes has received a grant from The Community Foundation of Jackson County. With this grant we will be implementing yoga and...

Mindful Minutes wants to send 4 Educators to a Yoga and Mindfulness training. With your help we will be able to provide four 95 Hour Yoga...

A local teacher recently emailed Mindful Minutes the following story: Learning Mindfulness with Molly at Challenge to Change has given me...

What does it mean to self-regulate, and why is it important? We have been in the midst of an opioid crisis that is affecting our youth...

It is the mission of education, hope and greater good. It is a mission to build strong minds and emotional peace for the next generation....

A local teacher recently emailed Mindful Minutes the following story: I walked into preschool to do a class and needed a minute to...

Connect your smart mind, to your kind heart and your calm body. The language we implement into the yoga in the schools lessons is:...

I heard words of praise and encouragement. I saw lots of smiles and positive body language. Today I was observing one of my amazing...