These videos offer three types of guided exercises designed to develop focus and attention skills, cultivate everyday kindness strategies, compassion and gratitude and reset and attune the mind-body connection through movement.

The videos feature calming natures scenes with voiced instructions throughout the practice or animations that are movement based.

Toddlers and preschoolers may not yet have the attention spans needed to make it through an entire video, but focus and attention are skills they can practice and build over time.

Mindfulness is a research-based tool that starts with purposefully bringing focus to thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, and environment. It allows kids to learn how to pause, which can be very beneficial for them both in school and at home.

Using mindfulness can help with increasing self-awareness, self-regulation, and impulse control. Improved focus and attention, decreased stress and anxiety, increased feelings of kindness and increased ability to manage emotions are common results of mindfulness practice in both kids and adults.

Mindfulness activities are more beneficial for kids when modeled by adults at home, so it's important to try and practice mindfulness yourself.

Try to have them go to bed at the same time every night as this helps them get into a routine. Follow a calming routine each night which may include taking a warm bath or reading a book.

Avoid foods and drinks near bedtime. Try to find a routine to help them wind down when bedtime or naptime are approaching. However, exercise earlier in the day does help a person sleep better.

Use beds or cribs just for sleeping. This will help train their bodies to associate them with sleep.

1 to 2 year olds usually need between 12 to 14 hours of sleep each day, including naps. It's also recommended that your 1 to 2 year old sleep in a safe, secure crib, but try to avoid any large soft toys or stuffed animals, along with anything with strings or ties in or around the crib.

Every child is different and they all need different amounts of sleep, but preschoolers on average need between 11 and 12 hours of sleep each day.

• Most preschoolers still need naps during the day and a 1 hour nap is usually enough.
• Consistency is key for both nap time and bedtime.

Visit this Kids Health website for some additional tips for getting your preschooler enough sleep.

Screen time includes watching TV, using a cell phone or tablet, working on a computer, or playing video games. Because screen time is a sedentary activity, it can have a negative impact on overall health. 

On average, kids under 6 watch about 2 hours of TV, videos and movies per day.

It’s recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that screen time for children ages 2 to 5 is limited to 1 hour per day. This media plan website can help your family create a plan to limit screen time and track screen use.

• The mindful jar activity can help teach children about how strong emotions can take hold, and how to find peace when these strong emotions come up. | En Español 
• Using a Hoberman sphere, or breathing ball, can help teach kids mindful breathing. | En Español 

• This media plan website can help your family create a plan to limit screen time and track screen use.
• This article from Healthy Children provides some good information about screen time and its impact on brain development.

• Learn all about sleep!
• Learn more about toddlers and sleep.