Our program helps create

A more calm and connected home for children and families

Many of MindUP’s activities and Core Practice – the Brain Break – can be implemented at home together with parents and caregivers.

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MindUP Kids Activity
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Parent tips for bringing MindUP lessons and concepts into the home environment:

  • Connect with your child through mindful moments - taking time to immerse yourself together in present activities, like listening to sounds, or taking a walk outside, can enrich enjoyment

  • Practice gratitude at a family meal - simply noting one thing we are thankful about helps induce positive emotions

  • Join together daily in a quiet, focused breathing exercise - together take three deliberate deep breaths to bring calm and reduce stress

  • At the end of the day, ask your child to share one or more things that went well today - this helps foster a positive mindset

“For the first time my son has been able to manage his anger much better. And his empathy has grown. But the greatest gift is that for the first time in his life, he put his arms around me and told me he loved me.”

Laura C, a MindUP parent

Evidence indicates MindUP's positive impact on a range of measures:

  • 86%

    Children report being able to boost their well-being by using MindUP.

  • 88%

    Children who, after learning MindUP, use it at home.

  • 83%

    Children indicate improvements in pro-social behaviors.

Maloney, J. E., Lawlor, M. S., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Whitehead, J. (2016). A mindfulness-based social and emotional learning curriculum for school-aged children: The MindUP program. In K. A. Schonert-Reichl & R. W. Roeser (Eds.), Mindfulness in education: Integrating theory and research into practice (pp. 313 – 334). New York, NY: Springer.

Brain Break with Goldie Hawn

CORE PRACTICE

The Brain Break

The Brain Break helps children develop attention and self-regulation. Practiced three times per day, this focused breathing exercise gives children a tool to help them manage stress and emotions by regulating their physiology and activating the attentional regions of the brain.

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  • MindUP gives parents the tools that it takes to help raise a child who thinks of others, isn't afraid to connect with peers and to just simply try one's best to be one's best... one day at a time.

    Parent
    Beach Cities, California, USA

  • I took MindUP home for the summer to work on my son's self regulating issues and I am so happy to see that he is using the strategies on his own when he is upset. I noticed how he removed himself from his friends to find some space to breathe and calm down. I am sure that the MindUP program will be a big part of survival with the ever increasing challenges and needs of today's children in the public school system.

    Parent
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Our 5 year old said, 'My amygdala used to be the boss of me. When I was angry, I used to scream and slam the door to my room. Now my prefrontal cortex helps me to breathe and calm down.' This same child has many meltdowns but by the end of the year, she was self regulating and REALLY loved MindUP.

    Parent
    Surrey, BC, Canada

Something for right now

A guide for creating a mindful family

10 Mindful Minutes

10 Mindful Minutes

Goldie Hawn with Wendy Holden

A guide for simple, effective ways for stressed parents to create calmer, kinder, happier families. The book boils down the latest findings about the brain into tips to help kids understand and manage their emotions for improved learning and every-day life.

Buy on Amazon

Download the excerpt

“This is a remarkable book. It is full of wisdom for us all – parents and other caregivers – inviting us to taste mindfulness for ourselves.”

Mark Williams, Director of the University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre

Social and emotional learning (SEL) provides a foundation for safe and positive schooling, and enhances a child's ability for success in learning and in life.

Our Research

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