via GIPHY Our kids are coming to school this school year from a world driven by polarization, aggression, lack of civility, and bullying, among other ills.  All the more reason to inject more kindness into the classroom day.  Kindness is an instinct that is found in babies, but it needs stimulation from the environment to...Read More

Millions of children are practicing mindfulness all over the world, and while it’s a very simple process of training the mind to be always in the present moment, without judgement, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.  It can be useful if a parent or teacher has some creative ways to explain...Read More

Here is a video I put together that helps explain mindfulness practice to children. For more information about using mindfulness in school settings, see my book Mindfulness in the Classroom: Strategies for Promoting Concentration, Compassion, and Calm. This page was brought to you by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. and www.institute4learning.com. Follow me on Twitter:  @Dr_Armstrong Subscribe to...Read More

To watch a great film is to be fed aesthetically, emotionally, and intellectually.  But there are certain great films that do more:  they serve as time machines, bringing us backwards or forwards into stages of life that we have already traveled or will eventually and hopefully travel in the future.  I call these ”stages of...Read More

The Common Core Curriculum states that ”[b]y the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.  The question is, how many students actually know them?  One adult scientist has noted:  ”I’m 49 years old, have a PhD in physics, and teach math and physics for a living. When I need...Read More