Calm Little Minds: Transforming Children’s Emotional Wellbeing with Evidence-Based Resources

The 9-year-old's words echoed a truth often overlooked in today's educational system: "We are learning about maths but not for our emotions." Dina Dimitriou, a psychologist with over 15 years of experience, took these words to heart, founding Calm Little Minds with a singular mission: to equip children, parents, and educators with the tools they need to address the growing mental health crisis in schools.

Dina’s journey to create Calm Little Minds was driven by a deeply personal realization: while schools teach subjects like math and history, they often neglect emotional learning. Children, especially those facing challenges like anxiety or low self-esteem, need more than academic support, they need emotional resilience, too. Dina’s work as an academic at Cambridge University and her hands-on experience in private practice helped her see the urgent need for resources that not only addressed mental health but did so in ways children could understand and engage with.

In her own words, Dina shares, "After 15 years of seeing children struggle with emotions they had no tools to understand, I realized we were failing them. We teach them algebra but not how to handle anxiety. We teach them history but not how to process their own emotional experiences. Something had to change." This moment of clarity led her to leave her prestigious academic career and private practice behind, shifting her focus to creating a resource that would bridge this emotional gap.

At the heart of Calm Little Minds is a practical, therapeutic approach. Dina’s background in psychology has provided a solid foundation in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness practices. These techniques, while often reserved for therapists, are integrated into Calm Little Minds’ journals, workbooks, and classroom tools in a way that makes them accessible and engaging for children. It’s not therapy in the traditional sense, it's therapy disguised as fun, interactive learning.

Calm Little Minds stands apart in its ability to cater to children of all learning styles, including those with special needs. "Every child deserves emotional literacy, regardless of how they learn," Dina explains. Her resources are designed with multi-modal engagement, visuals, interactive elements, and structured formats, ensuring that no child is left behind. Teachers and parents, often overwhelmed by the complexities of children's mental health needs, find these resources to be a godsend. As one teacher shared with Dina, "We are like therapists without training. We see children in distress but don't have the tools to help them."

This urgent need for emotional learning has only grown in recent years. “We’ve seen how the world looks without emotional intelligence, the division, the conflict, the inability to communicate with empathy and understanding,” says Dina. “Now it’s time to change that. If we want a better world, we need to start by teaching children the emotional skills we failed to learn ourselves.”

With a growing mental health crisis in schools, Calm Little Minds’ resources offer immediate, evidence-based solutions. Teachers can implement them seamlessly, saving valuable time and reducing stress, while parents gain a trusted guide to supporting their children’s emotional health at home. These resources are more than just worksheets, they are a lifeline in a world that often overlooks the emotional needs of its youngest members.

What makes Calm Little Minds truly special is its human-centered design. Dina is not just a creator of educational resources, she’s a fierce advocate for children’s emotional wellbeing. “Children don’t need to know they’re doing CBT or mindfulness exercises. They just need tools that work,” she explains. By embedding therapeutic techniques in an accessible format, Dina ensures that children gain emotional skills without feeling overwhelmed or disengaged. A 10-year-old might not recognize they’re learning to reframe negative thoughts, but they’ll feel empowered to manage their emotions through engaging activities.

Dina's vision for the future is equally transformative. She believes that emotional intelligence is as crucial as academic knowledge. “Imagine if every child graduated not just with academic knowledge, but with emotional intelligence, resilience, and the tools to handle whatever life brings them,” she says. It’s a vision where emotional education is as essential as any other subject, and she’s working toward making this a reality, one journal, one classroom, one child at a time.

For Dina, Calm Little Minds is more than a company, it’s a movement. It’s about empowering the next generation to build strong emotional foundations and resilience. Her resources are already in the hands of parents, educators, and mental health professionals, but her mission is far from over. Dina is committed to expanding her reach, partnering with schools, and growing the network of people dedicated to fostering emotional intelligence in children.

Calm Little Minds has been honored with the Most Promising Startup Award by the leading parenting magazine in the UAE, a recognition that highlights its innovation, impact, and commitment to supporting families and communities.

If you're an educator, parent, or counselor seeking tools that actually work to support children's emotional development, Calm Little Minds is the resource you've been waiting for. Explore Dina’s full range of evidence-based tools at calmlittleminds.org, or connect with the brand on Instagram at @calm.littleminds.

Every child deserves emotional literacy. Don’t let them miss out, get the tools you need to make a difference today.