InnerKids
InnerKids teaches pre-K through middle school students simple self-directed games and activities that are designed to develop mindful awareness (also known as mindfulness); a state of present attention where one observes thoughts, feelings, emotions, and events at the moment they occur without reacting to them in an automatic or habitual way. These activities help children become more aware of what is happening inside of them (thoughts, feelings, emotions and physical sensations) and outside of them (the classroom, the playground, at home and in the world around them).
These mindful awareness activities and games train children in what InnerKids believes are the New ABC’s –Attention, Balance and Clarity & Compassion. With appropriate attention to developmental differences, the goal of InnerKids is to provide students with self-directed skills that cultivate these new ABC’s of learning and leading a balanced life. In adults and la te adolescence, practicing mindful awareness (returning to a state of present attention) has shown significant improvement in general well-being, emotional reactivity (e.g. mood, anxiety), and physical health (e.g. immune response). The research on mindful awareness during childhood development is in its infancy, partly because age-appropriate practices for children have not been widely available.
Founded in 2001 and located in Los Angeles, California, InnerKids is a pioneer in teaching mindful awareness to students in pre-kindergarten through middle school. Since its inception, InnerKids has taught hundreds of classes to students in public and private schools, after school programs, and has recently expanded its reach into community-based mental health agencies and hospitals. In the Fall of 2006, InnerKids will begin a training initiative to create mindful awareness specialists by providing in-depth training for therapists, classroom teachers and health care professionals as a next step towards having a broader impact within the community.
In the spring of 2006, InnerKids taught approximately 125 students in 4 separate facilities ages 3 through 12. During that period, InnerKids conducted a thorough internal evaluation of our program (using pre-and-post program student, teacher and parent questionnaires). Analysis of the data collected showed significant benefit to the students and school communities that were served.