The Gift of Presence: How Mindful Traditions Strengthen Family Bonds

For many, the holiday season can feel like a whirlwind of events, activities, and to-do lists that are longer than usual. Worse still, heightened stress and a cultural emphasis on consumerism can take away from moments that are meant to be magical and shift the focus from generosity to materialism. Ironically, however, the true meaning behind all the noise and chaos is quite simple: a revitalized emphasis on spending time with those we love, the magic of giving, and a deep sense of gratitude.

Amid the hustle and bustle, parents have a unique opportunity to create experiences for their families that are intentionally rooted in the holiday spirit, and each day presents new ways to model what that looks like in action. It’s no secret that children are watching and listening: every time the adults in their lives focus on what’s truly important, create intentional space for connection and rest, navigate the overwhelm with grace and compassion, prioritize how they give and show up for others over what they’re putting on their own wishlists, and express gratitude for all the miracles of life (no matter how big or small).

PRESENCE OVER PRESENTS

While traditionally nonstop and full of shopping, holiday itineraries can refocus on connection by simplifying commitments and focusing on time spent rather than dollars. Even subtle shifts can help reduce stress and highlight the significance of how families use their time together.  As an added bonus, a mindful approach to the holidays can help model essential executive functions, such as intentional planning, emotional regulation, and self-awareness. 

• Digital Detox Hour: Establish a specific time each day where all screens are put away. Use this time as a family to commit to uninterrupted conversation, board games, or collaborative holiday preparations. Removing digital distractions encourages active listening and deepens interpersonal bonds.

• Intentional Downtime: Instead of rushing to the next activity, schedule slow mornings or evenings dedicated to a simple, shared activity, such as making pancakes together, reading a festive book, or simply enjoying conversation by the fireplace. Unhurried moments allow the nervous system to regulate and create a sense of calm.

• Collaborative Creation: To help combat consumerism culture, gifts can be centered around experiences or homemade items. Working together on a project - such as baking cookies for neighbors, creating handmade ornaments, or writing cards - fosters teamwork and a sense of shared accomplishment. The process itself becomes a memorable bonding activity.

GRATITUDE, SERVICE, & STORIES

Contrary to pop culture and most advertisements, the true holiday spirit is characterized by an appreciation for what one has and the importance of giving to others. Intentional practices of gratitude can help children and young adults cultivate empathy and a wider perspective. Plus, encouraging them to participate in the process of gift-giving helps them discover that every act of generosity is its own special kind of gift. Especially for children, giving doesn’t have to mean ‘money.’ Kind words, acts of service, homemade gifts, and messages of gratitude are simple expressions of love that empower them to give, too - no bank account required.

• The Daily Gratitude Jar: For the month of December, decorate a large family jar and keep slips of paper available in a clear, accessible area. Each day, family members write down one thing they are grateful for or a kindness they gave/received. Reading these together on a specific evening or New Year's Day highlights the abundance and positivity present in everyone’s lives.

• Meaningful Acts of Service: While donating money or resources is always needed and helpful, actively participating in acts of service allows children to experience the tangible impact of giving, reinforcing the value of community and compassion. Wherever possible, try to make time to volunteer together or select a family to support through a local charity and do the shopping as a collaborative effort. 

• Reflective Storytelling: During family meals, encourage everyone to share memories about past holiday experiences or traditions from their own childhoods. Intergenerational story-telling also connects children to their family's history and nurtures an appreciation for their roots.

Connection, not commotion, allows us to celebrate in a way that is both value-aligned and enduring. When all is said and done, this period will be remembered not for what was received, but for what was felt, and all of these moments - though fleeting - can become some of their most treasured memories. With a little thought and effort, this season offers a powerful opportunity to strengthen family connection and closeness, as well as build a foundation for lifelong traditions grounded in gratitude and generosity.

Written by Brandi R.

Tools for Success: Brain Breaks and Mindfulness Activities

Consider the phrase “don’t cry over spilled milk”. More likely than not, you have heard, and probably even used, this phrase throughout your life. By now, you know that the phrase is used to encourage others not to worry about situations they cannot change. In a simple form, the intent of the phrase is to help others regulate their emotions and develop emotional intelligence. And while it can successfully accomplish those goals, most children need more than a saying to regulate their emotions when they are overstimulated or emotionally dysregulated. Telling children how to do something and showing them how to do something are two completely different concepts. Just think- would you expect a child to know how to hold, and read, a book without showing them? 

There are simple, yet powerful, ways to practice emotional wellbeing with your child at home. The frequency and timing of these activities will depend on the skills that your child already has. Some children may need to practice these strategies during homework help while others may need help managing their big emotions as they arise. Whatever the context, these specific strategies will build the foundational skills your child needs to regulate their emotions with more independence:

Brain breaks and mindfulness activities are excellent opportunities to help keep children motivated, focused, and ready to learn. Most successful brain breaks are planned or used as a strategy when children have an inability to focus due to emotional dysregulation. Depending on your child’s needs and interests, brain breaks can include movement, mindfulness, or educational content. Here are a few examples of how they can be implemented at home:

• Timed intervals: Set a timer while your child is working on a long, or complex, task. When the timer goes off, have your child pause when they have reached a good stopping point. 

• Quantities: Set work-related goal with your child. Goals can range from smaller to larger chunks such as a number of problems, a complete assignment, or part of a project.

• Dysregulation: Use brain breaks and mindfulness activities to rebalance your child’s emotions if they become dysregulated, extremely fatigued, or unmotivated while working.

• Reinforce content with educational videos, or music. Let children reflect and practice mindfulness through a series of written or auditory prompts.

Here is a list of activities your child may enjoy:

• Go Noodle: A free resource with a variety of brain breaks, exercises, and mindfulness

• Cosmic Kids Yoga: A Youtube series with various Yoga tutorials

• Mindfulness Coloring Books, or free printable pages

• Youtube Freeze Dances: Coach Corey Martin, P.E. with Mr. G, or Matthew Wood with movement inspired activities

• BrightenUp! Kids: Free yoga, mindfulness, affirmations, and reflection tutorials with themes like Shake Off Those Icky Feelings and Butterfly Hug

• Educational games, puzzles, or strategy games for brain breaks and skill practice

• Creativity exploration: directed drawings, musical lessons, journaling, nature walks/5 senses writing, painting, or listening to music

Utilizing structured brain breaks during extended work sessions (i.e homework, cleaning, after school activities) can successfully help children regain focus and apply their best effort. By teaching these strategies at home, you are providing students with tools they can learn to implement independently when they are feeling dysregulated. Whether they’ve quite literally “spilled milk”, are fatigued at the end of a long day, or are struggling to focus, brain breaks are like a mini “reset” button that could provide clarity. 

Written by Ami Z.

Tips and Tricks to Strengthen Working Memory in Math

Of all of the executive functioning skills required to succeed in mathematics, working memory may be one of the most important! Working memory refers to how the brain uses, holds, processes and manipulates the information stored in our short-term memory. Working memory allows us to plan, problem solve and reason, all of which go hand-in-hand with the necessary skills to complete a math problem. Let’s dive into some tips and tricks which can help to strengthen working memory, specifically in relation to the world of math!

Play Games

There are many popular games that can be played as a family that utilize working memory. Games like Concentration, Uno, Crazy Eights and Go Fish all require the players to use their working memory system. Simon Says, Follow the Beat, Tongue Twisters, puzzles and brain teasers are other excellent examples of activities that can be used to strengthen working memory. In many of these activities, our brains must actively recall information, and in-turn manipulate it to make the next move!

Put Your Child in the Teacher Role

When working through a new math concept, once a child has begun to master the concept at hand, they should attempt to teach someone else how to do it. When the child becomes the teacher, they are switching into a more active role and thus enhancing their working memory skills. For example, if a child is working on adding fractions with a different denominator, they should be able to walk someone else through each step necessary to solve this kind of problem and explain the “why” behind it.

Practice Every Day

For things like math facts (simple and quick math problems across the four operations), practicing every day can help to reduce the strain on working memory capacity. The more automatic these quick facts become, the more space is freed up in the brain to utilize other math skills and solve larger and more complex mathematical equations and word problems.

Visualize

When working on word problems, it is best to come up with various visualization strategies that can be used to solve each problem. Examples of visualization strategies in math might be drawing an array, making pictures or using math manipulatives.

Make a Plan

A great general rule of thumb for math problems (especially those tricky word problems) is to NEVER leave math in your head. This means write down as much as possible. Circle, underline or highlight the key words in a math problem and then make a plan to solve. Write out each step as a number sentence, and use the visualization tools mentioned above to help solve the problem.

Practice Yoga & Mindfulness

Research has shown activities like yoga and mindfulness can improve working memory. Both of these practices aim to draw our attention to how and when our mind wanders, which in turn can help increase focus and the working memory function of the brain. There are many wonderful YouTube channels for kids yoga, such as Cosmic Yoga that can be completed daily. Alternately, try simple breathing exercises in the car on the way to school as a way to practice mindfulness each day.

Use Mnemonics and Songs

Making a mnemonic device or turning something that needs to be memorized into a song are two more fantastic ways to strengthen working memory. The most famous mnemonics device in Math is PEMDAS with “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” as the words to remember the order of operations. There are also fun and silly songs on YouTube to help learn and memorize math facts. Putting information into a catchy song allows our brain to more easily store and remember it!

Written by Laine J.