About
The Mindful Explorer
We create evidence-informed books and resources that help children, parents, co-parents and families build emotional strength, resilience and connection.
Why this work exists
Children don’t develop emotional strength in isolation. Their wellbeing is shaped by relationships, experiences and the environments around them.
So much advice focuses on behaviour or quick fixes. We believe real change comes from undestanding what is happening beneath the surface and responding in ways that build skills over time.
That belief is at the heart of everything we create.
When we understand what is happening beneath behaviour, we are better able to respond to what children, and often adults, actually need.
Our journey…
It began with children
The Mindful Explorer Journal helps children explore feelings, thoughts and their inner world.
We looked at parenting
The Emotionally Strong Child explores how parents can support emotional development.
We explored relationships
Becoming the Anchor Parent supports parents navigating co-parenting challenges.
We considered the bigger picture
The Present Home focuses on the emotional climate and balance of family life.
Our Framework
All of our resources are guided by the same simple framework.
See how it works in detail on our Framework page.
NOTICE
Become aware of feelings, body sensations and what’s happening right now.
NAME
Identify and name emotions and feelings to understand them better
REGULATE
Learn simple tools to calm, soothe and manage big feelings.
REFLECT
Make sense of experiences and learn from them.
GROW
Build confidence, resilience and self-belief over time.
This method is the foundation of our resources for children, parents and schools.
An evidence-informed approach
Our work is grounded in established research fro child development, emotional regulation and family psychology.
We translate this evidence into practical tools and everyday language that families can actually use.
- Informed by research, not trends
- Practical, realistic and down-to-earth
- Written for families, not professionals
- Not a clinical or diagnostic model
- Not a substitute for professional support
Read our research sources
How we create our resources
We follow a simple process to ensure our resources are both meaningful and practical.
- Research
We start with established research and psychological principles. - Understand
We interpret the research through real family experiences and challenges - Apply
We turn ideas into clear, relatable language and examples - Practice
We create reflections and tools that can be used in everyday life.
Explore our resources
Different situations, one connected understanding.
The Mindful Explorer Journal
Helps children understand their feelings, build confidence and develop emotional skills.
The Emotionally Strong Child
Helps parents support emotional development through connection, consistency and understanding
Becoming the Anchor Parent
Helps co-parents stay steady, child-focused and emotionally available through challenging circumstances.
The Present Home
Helps families protect the emotional climate of the home and strengthen connection.
Our values
Child focused
We focus on understanding and supporting children’s emotional development
Whole family
We look at the wider system, not just the individual
Compassionate
We believe in progress, not perfection
Practical
We create tools that can be used in real life, on real days
Evidence-informed
We use research to guide our thinking
Eco-Friendly Books and Journals That Care for the Planet
At The Mindful Explorer, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. When you choose our journals and books, you’re not only supporting your child’s emotional wellbeing and mindfulness, you’re also supporting true environmental care, from forest to finish.
What makes our journals and books eco-conscious
- Printed on FSC & PEFC certified paper
All our paper comes from responsibly managed forests, verified by both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). - Produced in a low-impact, award-winning facility
Our print partner has won the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice and the East of England Resource Efficiency Award — reflecting a company-wide commitment to environmental best practice. - Carbon-conscious production & logistics
• Solar panels power production lines and reduce fossil-fuel energy use.
• All workforce commuting emissions are offset through an Ecologi partnership.
• Orders trigger a tree-planting action: every order helps plant a new tree. - Resource-efficient operations
• Facility moved to a BREEAM-certified building to minimise the environmental impact of infrastructure.
• Transportation and delivery processes are optimised — fewer daily paper deliveries, shared dispatches to reduce emissions.
• Within the print facility: 75 % of stock is bulk packed, pre-cut paper off-cuts are minimised, and extensive recycling is in place. - Mindful of people, planet, and materials
• Partnered with the “Love Paper” campaign, promoting responsible print and supporting literacy/learning with low-impact materials.
• Use of VoIP, reduction in face-to-face meetings, recycling of old technology and toner cartridges — every step matters.
Why this matters for you and your child
When you bring a Mindful Explorer book or journal into your home or classroom, you’re choosing:
✔ A product that supports gentle emotional growth in children
✔ A product manufactured with care for forests, energy, and people
✔ A product aligned with educators’ values around sustainability and mindful learning
Research & further reading
Disclaimer: The Mindful Explorer is psychologically informed rather than a clinical or diagnostic model. Our frameworks bring together established ideas from child development, emotional regulation, attachment, family systems and stress research into practical tools for everyday family life. The sources below provide some of the research and wider thinking that inform our approach; inclusion does not imply that any individual author or study endorses The Mindful Explorer Framework.
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.Serve and Return: Back-and-Forth Exchanges.
- National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships: Working Paper No. 1.
- Zeman, J., Cassano, M., Perry-Parrish, C. & Stegall, S. (2006). “Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents.” Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 27(2), 155–168.
- Bariola, E., Gullone, E. & Hughes, E. K. (2011). “Child and Adolescent Emotion Regulation: The Role of Parental Emotion Regulation and Expression.” Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 14(2), 198–212.
For Children
Daily practices and activities to build awareness, confidence and resilience.
The Mindful Explorer Journal
For Parents
A practical guide to raising emotionally strong, confident and resilient children.
The Emotionally Strong Child
For Co-Parents
Tools and strategies to stay steady, consistent and focused on your child.
Becoming The Anchor Parent
For Families & Adults
Understanding conflict, stress and emotional climate in families and relationships.
The Present Home
Different roles.
Connected approach.
Each book and tool helps you apply the same understanding in the context of your life.
Research-informed
Drawing on established ideas in development, regulation and relationships.
Practical & realistic
Designed for everyday family life.
Compassionate
Progress, not perfection.
Whole-family thinking
Looking beyond behaviour to relationships and environment.
Built for real life
Clear tools, reflections and practical guidance.