Mindful Moments was created by mom and Boundless Blooms CEO, Kaajal Agnani, who cares deeply about raising little ones to be strong, bold, and compassionate human beings. This handcrafted box of cards includes mindfulness tools, activities, and instructions that can help your little ones develop into resilient and emotionally intelligent grown-ups. When we teach children self-love and self-soothing skills at a young age, we set them up to live a compassionate, open-minded life.
We spoke with Kaajal Agnani about her inspiration for this children’s mindfulness product, the importance of helping kids connect to the present moment, and how providing your little ones with tools to self-regulate their emotions can make parenting easier.
Hi Kaajal! We think it’s so wonderful that your cards help children recognize and regulate their emotions. What are your favorite skills or tools that your Mindful Moments cards teach?
There are so many skills that these cards nurture and develop in kids, it’s hard to pick favorites! First and foremost, I think these cards help kids feel comfortable in their own skin and develop an awareness of how their thoughts and feelings impact their bodies and mind. Additionally, these cards highlight what it means to be compassionate towards yourself and others – the deck is peppered with gratitude practices and contains affirmations that promote positive self-talk. Finally, these cards teach about connection and going with the flow. Not only do the exercises give kids a chance to connect with what’s going on within themselves, but they encourage children to connect to their surroundings and the people they are doing the exercises with, all while remaining open to whatever comes their way. This is really powerful in my opinion because it helps build acceptance and resilience.
At an early age, we don’t necessarily discuss how children can nurture their minds and spirits! When did you realize this gap in early learning existed, and how has developing this product affected your attitude towards parenting?
As a new mom, I noticed how incredibly present my son Zavi was when he was born. Spending time with him pulled me deeper into the moment, and I was able to more vividly pay attention to and notice the small details, which was really magical. I immediately connected the dots between my personal mindfulness practice and the fact that children are born with a natural knack for being present. We all have this inherent capacity. It is simply a matter of finding ways to cultivate it. In fact, reflecting on my own childhood I recognized that I was a very mindful child, but lost touch with that part of myself because I wasn’t intentional about practicing regularly. That’s when I decided that I would incorporate mindfulness practices into our daily life, and I did it through song and play because that’s the most natural way to introduce anything to babies and kids.
I’ve seen a lot of the benefits of practicing mindfulness on my own and as a family, so when I launched my company, creating a fun and interactive product to help kids tap into the present moment and recognize their unique strengths was first on my list. It’s truly been a journey of creative exploration for me. Each mindfulness exercise is based on my personal experiences of practicing and sharing the practice of mindfulness with others, especially my son Zavi. I also like to think that developing Mindful Moments has helped me be a better parent and partner because I’m more aware of the times that I’m distracted vs. present in the moment, and I’m better able to use my breath to self-regulate during stressful situations and tantrums (including my own!). As a result, we prioritize being silly and playful throughout the day as a family. Most importantly, we’re able to connect and bond in a really meaningful way by getting in touch with our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
In your studies at USC, did you encounter any other ideas in the mental wellness space that you would like to work on? For example, have you thought about developing a product for adults or teenagers?
While I designed the product for kids 2+ years, I’ve received really positive feedback from adults and teens about how they love using Mindful Moments for themselves. Creating Mindful Moments and Good Morning, Good Morning (my children’s book) felt like a very organic process to me, because both are rooted in mindfulness activities and songs that I’ve been using on a daily basis with my son, which in turn is why I think they resonate so strongly with customers. So as I think about future products, my goal is to continue to draw from my own experiences and create meaningful products that help kids and families be the best versions of themselves. Hopefully my other products will also resonate with people of all ages!
