Building Emotional Regulation Through Mindfulness and Art at Critchlow-Adkins Children’s Centers

For All Seasons has been offering a 12-week, in-classroom program to deliver a hands-on social-emotional learning (SEL) and mindfulness experience tailored for preschool-aged children at Critchlow-Adkins Children’s Centers (CACC) in Easton. Created and facilitated by For All Seasons’ Center for Learning, the program introduces students ages 2 to 4 to essential emotional regulation and mindfulness skills through play-based, art-forward lessons.

Led by For All Seasons’ Chief Clinical Officer Lesa Mulcahy, LCSW-C, and mindfulness educator Karen M. Kaludis, the program uses developmentally appropriate techniques to help young learners build emotional vocabulary, recognize body cues, and practice self-regulation through creative expression and movement.

“Mindfulness can be beneficial at any age, and the earlier we introduce these skills, the more they support long-term emotional and self-regulation development. With younger children, especially those aged 2 to 3 years old, mindfulness often looks like co-regulation—where an adult helps the child manage emotions and attention by staying calm, present, and connected,” comments Mulcahy.

Mulcahy explains that at this stage, children are just beginning to understand and respond to internal cues. They often need an adult’s support, not only to model mindfulness but to practice it with them. Repetition and consistency are key. Many young children pick up these skills after several practice sessions, especially when the adult maintains a nurturing presence.

“In our two-year-old classroom, for example, we observed children initiating practice by moving our hands or guiding us to move theirs. This kind of physical, shared learning shows how young children naturally engage in mindfulness through connection. By calmly repeating these actions together, they begin to internalize the skills in a developmentally appropriate way,” she adds.

Each week, trained facilitators deliver back-to-back sessions in every participating classroom. The lessons incorporate sensory activities, stories, and breathwork games that support empathy, connection, and self-awareness—all grounded in a consistent, predictable structure that supports young children’s learning.

“It has been a real privilege to work with the children and staff at the Critchlow Atkins Preschool Site. The children have embraced and utilized the breathing and mindfulness exercises that we have taught them in their day-to-day lives. They have used their creativity and imagination to design their unique calming exercises, many of which we have used in the classroom. It is a true delight and source of satisfaction to see how quickly and earnestly they have taken to learning how to calm themselves,” says Kaludis.

In addition to classroom sessions, the program includes live education support to CACC teachers and take-home gifts for the children to reinforce lessons at home.

“We had spoken to For All Seasons last year about working with children in our programs. We wanted to give them simple, creative ways to slow down and feel calm. Mindfulness through art and movement helps them express big feelings they may not yet have words for. It’s amazing to see how a few quiet minutes with a crayon, blowing bubbles, or a deep breath can help them feel more settled—and that calm often goes home with them, too,” states Cristy Morrell, Executive Director of Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers.

“We’re so grateful to For All Seasons for sharing this meaningful tool with our children and helping us support their emotional well-being in such a thoughtful, effective way.”

Through this innovative partnership, For All Seasons and CACC aim to lay a strong foundation for mental well-being and resilience in early childhood. The program reinforces both organizations’ commitment to integrating trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate approaches into community-based early learning environments. Through funding secured by Critchlow-Adkins, the program will continue next year.

For All Seasons provides the highest quality mental health and victim services to children, adults, and families across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Services are offered in both English and Spanish and include therapy, psychiatry, victim advocacy, 24-hour crisis hotlines, outreach, and community education. For information about For All Seasons walk-in hours, contact For All Seasons at 410-822-1018 or visit ForAllSeasonsInc.org.