Copyright 2025
Scientific Foundations
Mindful Juniors: The E‑Mind™ Framework is a neuroscience-informed psychoeducational programme for children aged 5 to 16.
Modern childhood is fraught with emotional and psychological challenges, from overstimulation to rising anxiety and peer pressure. Despite growing awareness, emotional education remains underrepresented in traditional curricula. Mindful Juniors addresses this gap by creating a structured, therapist-led program that fosters long-term psychological wellbeing, social competence, and personal growth. The programme’s foundation in neuroscience and developmental psychology ensures that every activity aligns with how children’s brains grow, connect, and learn to manage emotions.
The approach
Psychology-based
Neuroscience-backed
The E‑Mind™ framework grows with your child. It supports emotional literacy, cognitive flexibility, relational intelligence, values-based reflection, and self-leadership— laying the groundwork for emotional well-being and a purposeful, intentional life.
Developmentally sequenced
Evidence-informed approaches
Rooted in neuroscience and psychology, E‑Mind™ draws from evidence-based approaches to nurture regulation, identity, creativity, and character from early childhood through adolescence.
Aligned with Singapore's
National Education Frameworks
An age-tiered long-term programme grounded in research and aligned with Singapore’s national education frameworks— NEL (Nurturing Early Learners) Competencies and MOE’s SEL outcomes.
Experiential methods
Consistency shapes personality
Through experiential methods intended to support emotional literacy and relational growth, this consistent nurturing approach shapes a child’s personality to be more emotionally resilient, socially attuned, self-aware, and grounded in values.
Research-Based Pillars
Emotional Intelligence & Vocabulary Building
Emotional granularity—the ability to label and distinguish between emotions—is associated with improved regulation, decision-making, and mental wellbeing (Barrett, 2017; Brackett, 2019).
Mindfulness-Based Practices
Regular mindfulness practice activates prefrontal regions of the brain, promoting executive function, attention, and emotion regulation (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Bögels & Restifo, 2014).
Self-Regulation & Executive Function
Neuroscience shows that early experiences shape the development of executive functions such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility—skills essential for emotional control (Diamond & Lee, 2011).
Narrative & Expressive Arts
Storytelling and expressive arts activate neural pathways associated with meaning-making and emotional integration, enhancing psychological resilience (Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999).
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
SEL competencies correlate with improved neurological integration across emotional and cognitive systems, resulting in better school and life outcomes (Durlak et al., 2011).
Growth Mindset and Resilience Training
Growth mindset interventions shift neural patterns related to failure and motivation, helping children build perseverance and flexible coping (Dweck, 2006; Duckworth, 2016).
CBT-Informed Techniques
Cognitive-behavioural tools like thought-feeling-behavior mapping help children recognize automatic thoughts and restructure them, reducing cognitive distortions and promoting emotional clarity (Kendall, 2012).
Stress Management & Coping Strategies
Teaching children age-appropriate ways to recognize stress and activate calming strategies (like breathwork, movement, or visualization) helps reduce anxiety and build lifelong emotional resilience.
Relationship Skills & Communication
Children learn respectful communication, active listening, cooperation, and how to resolve interpersonal challenges through structured dialogue and role-play activities.
Ethical Thinking & Decision-Making
The program cultivates responsible choices and values-based reasoning, helping children understand consequences, reflect on actions, and make ethical decisions in social settings.
Benefits of the programme
Emotional Intelligence & Regulation
— Expands emotional vocabulary and granularity
— Builds self-awareness and emotional insight
— Strengthens emotion regulation and impulse control
— Fosters healthy expression of feelings across developmental stages
Social Awareness & Relationship Skills
— Develops empathy and perspective-taking
— Improves social communication and conflict resolution
— Builds skills in friendship, peer connection, and teamwork
— Reinforces mutual respect, kindness, and social responsibility
Values & Character Formation
— Cultivates honesty, kindness, gratitude, and accountability
— Encourages ethical thinking and moral decision-making
— Builds integrity and courage to act in alignment with personal values
— Nurtures respect for diversity and fairness in community living
Creative, Reflective, and Mindful Learning
— Integrates storytelling, expressive arts, and movement for emotional processing
—Makes learning joyful, meaningful, and personally relevant
— Encourages present-moment awareness and grounding techniques
— Strengthens neural integration between thinking, feeling, and doing
Cognitive & Brain-Based Growth
— Enhances executive function (focus, cognitive flexibility, working memory)
— Strengthens prefrontal cortex development (attention, self-control)
— Reduces emotional reactivity (amygdala regulation through mindfulness)
— Encourages a growth mindset and adaptive thinking
Mental Wellbeing & Resilience
— Builds tools for stress management and emotional coping
— Fosters a stable and positive sense of self-worth
— Supports children through transitions, anxiety, or peer stress
— Provides a psychologically safe space for expression and processing
Long-Term Identity & Life Skills
— Develops responsible decision-making and self-reflection
— Shapes a well-rounded, emotionally grounded personality over time
— Supports identity formation with emotional grounding during adolescence
— Encourages independence, self-leadership, and purpose-driven thinking
Programme Structure by Age Group
Ages 5–6 (Mini Mindfuls)
At this age, children are learning to understand their feelings and relate to others. Through playful stories, movement, and mindfulness, we help them name emotions, regulate big feelings, and build kindness and patience—skills they’ll carry into school and friendships.
Ages 7–10 (Emotion Explorers)
As children begin forming deeper friendships and facing new challenges, we guide them in expressing emotions clearly, resolving conflicts, and managing disappointment or worry. They build emotional language, empathy, and tools for handling real-life ups and downs—with greater confidence.
Ages 11–13 (Mindful Tweens)
Tweens are navigating identity, peer pressure, and growing self-doubt. We support them in developing emotional clarity, values-based thinking, and resilience. They learn to manage inner self-talk, recognise triggers, and respond rather than react—preparing them for adolescence with self-trust and calm.
Ages 14–16 (Mind Wise Teens)
Teens begin asking deeper questions about who they are and who they want to become. Our programme offers emotional mastery, mental health literacy, and space to explore purpose, relationships, and boundaries. We also equip them with practical tools to manage academic pressure, perfectionism, and internal stress—helping them stay grounded and focused during a demanding life stage. Teens gain confidence in decision-making, self-leadership, and navigating life with integrity.
Mindful Juniors is divided into four developmental tiers:
National Frameworks
(info from MOE)
MOE's Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) frameworks include five foundational competencies:
1. Self-Awareness
2. Self-Management & Regulation
3. Social Awareness & Respect Diversity
4. Relationships Skills
5. Responsible Decision Making
