Calm Little Minds empowers children with emotional intelligence, resilience, and therapeutic tools for lifelong success, created by psychologist Dina Dimitriou.
The Missed Lesson in Schools: Emotional Education
A simple yet profound statement from a 9-year-old client sticks with Dina Dimitriou: “We are learning about maths but not for our emotions.” In those words, Dina realized a truth that would ignite her passion and drive the creation of Calm Little Minds, a company dedicated to solving an urgent problem. For years, Dina saw firsthand how children struggled with managing their emotions, a critical gap in their education. Despite the increasing mental health needs in schools, teachers and parents often lacked the tools to address this challenge. Calm Little Minds was born out of this realization, to provide emotional learning tools that would equip young people to understand and manage their emotions in an accessible, engaging way.
The Journey to Calm Little Minds
Dina Dimitriou’s path to founding Calm Little Minds is deeply rooted in her background as a psychologist and educator. With over 15 years of experience working with children, families, and schools, including a tenure at Cambridge University, Dina’s expertise is unparalleled. Yet, it was her hands-on work with children that led her to the idea of creating practical tools for emotional learning.
For years, Dina witnessed children struggle with emotions, from anxiety to anger, without the guidance or skills to process them. “After 15 years of seeing children struggle with emotions they had no tools to understand, I realized we were failing them,” Dina recalls. “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.”
Her mission became clear: create resources that address emotional illiteracy. But not just any resources, resources grounded in real therapeutic methods that children would actually use and enjoy. Unlike many social-emotional learning (SEL) programs, Dina’s approach integrates evidence-based therapeutic practices like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness into fun, accessible activities for children. The goal was simple: make therapy tools disguised as engaging learning experiences that children would actually want to engage with.
The company’s product line includes Emotional Intelligence Journals for children aged 8-11, specialized journals for teenagers, and ready-to-use classroom tools for educators. Dina’s unique approach ensures that these resources are not only evidence-based but also inclusive. As she puts it, “Every child deserves emotional literacy, regardless of how they learn. If we only create resources for neurotypical children, we’re leaving too many kids behind.”
The Crisis Behind the Mission
Today, the need for Calm Little Minds’ resources has never been more pressing. With the mental health crisis in schools reaching unprecedented levels, educators and parents are feeling overwhelmed and underprepared. “Teachers are telling me they feel like therapists without training,” Dina explains. “They see children in distress but don’t have practical tools to help. That’s exactly what I created, evidence-based support that anyone can use.”
The mental health crisis in schools is not just a matter of students struggling with feelings, it’s a matter of students being ill-equipped to understand and manage those feelings. Dina’s vision is to change that by making emotional learning as commonplace as academic learning. Her tools empower children with emotional resilience, self-regulation, and confidence that will benefit them throughout their lives.
What Sets Calm Little Minds Apart
What makes Calm Little Minds different from other SEL programs? For starters, it’s built on a strong therapeutic foundation. While many SEL programs rely solely on educational theory, Dina’s resources are grounded in years of psychological practice and research. Every resource integrates proven therapeutic approaches such as mindfulness, CBT, and DBT, which are designed not just to educate but to heal.
Additionally, Calm Little Minds offers a multi-therapeutic approach, combining different strategies into a single tool, ensuring that every child has the emotional toolkit they need. Whether it’s through mindfulness practices to foster present-moment awareness or CBT techniques to reframe negative thinking, Dina’s resources provide a comprehensive set of tools.
And unlike many of the competition, Calm Little Minds resources are accessible and inclusive by design. They’re specifically created for children with special educational needs, ensuring that all children, regardless of their learning style, can benefit from them. “Every child deserves emotional literacy,” Dina affirms. “Our resources are built from the ground up to support diverse learning needs.”
Empowering a Generation
Imagine a world where every child is equipped not only with academic knowledge but with emotional intelligence and the skills to navigate life’s challenges with confidence. That’s the world Dina Dimitriou is working towards with Calm Little Minds. Through engaging journals, practical guides, and classroom tools, Dina is helping to build a foundation for a more emotionally intelligent and resilient generation.
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 believe in the power of emotional literacy, now is the time to take action. Visit Calm Little Minds to explore Dina’s resources and see how they can support the children in your life. Join the movement toward a future where emotional well-being is prioritized just as much as academic success.
Follow Calm Little Minds on Instagram to stay updated on new releases, tips for parents and educators, and the latest in emotional education.
Dina Dimitriou’s Calm Little Minds is more than just a business, it’s a movement toward a more emotionally aware, resilient, and empowered generation.
