Mindful Littles

Looking to up your joy? Try connecting with nature this weekend. Watch the clouds, be awed by a sunset or simply notice the smallest bud. Happy Friday! #NatureNurture

Move your body! Do jumping jacks or air boxing, or break out into your wildest dance moves. The shift in energy is sure to zap the tension any household

Plant a little compassion, watch it grow, then share it out! Planting and caring for your own flowers or herbs is a great way to think about nurturing compassion for yourself and others

In recognition of #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, Mindful Littles Wellness Coach Travis Groft shares his personal journey and perspective on resilience and mental health: "..it's a constant work in progress rooted in practice."

Explore the world using your all 5 of your senses -- sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Focusing with our senses helps keep us grounded in the present moment instead of worrying about the past or future.

In celebration of #TeacherAppreciationWeek, we set out to do something special for the teachers we work with in the Paradise Unified School District. With kindness in our hearts and snacks in our hands, we partnered with @paradisesbux to bring Iced Tea and Cookies for all the teachers! Then our very own Mindful Littles facilitator @mettamarianne led a short mindful movement practice grounded in self-care. Thank you to all teachers for your commitment and care, virtually and in-person! We love you!

Being a mamapreneur of a nonprofit startup in the midst of a global pandemic is like driving a bus while changing the wheels in the midst of a thick fog hoping you don’t run out of gas. All the while you have two little ones on the bus with you who need daily caretaking, help with school and everything in between.

Make a difference this holiday. Shop for gifts at smile.amazon.com/ch/82-1012917 to generate donations for Mindful Littles! As much as we don't want to admit it, we've all been doing a bit more of Amazon shopping lately... If you're going to order from Amazon, do it through our Amazon Smile account to make Mindful Littles your Amazon Smile recipient! ... We appreciate the continued support of our community, thank you! Your contribution will be instrumental in helping us engage youth and their families as they tackle pressing issues like racial justice, social isolation, and mental health. Thank you in advance!! If you prefer a direct donation to Mindful Littles, check our website!

This smelly, spicy sensory game taps into the sense of smell to encourage presence in the moment. Adding a blindfold makes the game even more fun! When you're done, use the spices to create a cool art project. The inspiration for this mindfulness activity came from a fall art project my younger daughter did in her preschool class, where the class made art with spices and herbs they had first smelled.... https://mindfullittles.org/smelly-spicy-sensory-game/

For this sensory game, players use touch and taste to (literally) savor the moment. With the sense of sight temporarily switched off by a blindfold, the other senses are heightened, focusing the player's attention even more in the moment. For our fruits, I chose pineapples, blackberries and grapes. Playing blindfolded made the game particularly thrilling for my older daughter who loved it so much that she wanted me to play it as well.... https://mindfullittles.org/blindfolded-fruit-tasting-game-2/

Great read from The New York Times about the brain and something called "body-budgeting," check it out! "We’re all living in challenging times, and we’re all at high risk for disrupted body budgets. If you feel weary from the pandemic and you’re battling a lack of motivation, consider your situation from a body-budgeting perspective. Your burden may feel lighter if you understand your discomfort as something physical. When an unpleasant thought pops into your head, like I can’t take this craziness anymore, ask yourself body-budgeting questions. Did I get enough sleep last night? Am I dehydrated? Should I take a walk? Call a friend? Because I could use a deposit or two in my body budget."

Our 5 Senses Peace Book is a wonderful way to teach children how to cultivate peace for themselves. Mindfulness activities combined with art and a short breath practice plus positive affirmation will engage kids of all ages. When we use our five senses we slow down and observe our environment and emotions more closely. For this activity, we use our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch to more deeply think about the meaning of peace.

We just completed an amazing 5 week series of well-being workshops with Littles of families alongside Veteran's PATH! It was such an amazing experience to connect with littles all over the country - since we aren't able to gather in person, it sure feels good to have meaningful engagements with Littles in virtual spaces! Thank you to all of the wonderful families who participated and to this parent for their kind words. We had so much fun and hope you did too! Thanks to our awesome facilitators Travis & Liz!!