This project explores whether Stix Mindfulness, an engaging, screen-free programme, can help children learn mindfulness skills. Working with schools, we will find out how children interact with Stix activities, whether they enjoy them, and how acceptable and feasible Stix are in helping children build mindfulness skills to better manage their mental wellbeing.
Mental health concerns among children have risen sharpy over the past decade, with long-term impacts on health, education, and future prospects. This is particularly true in communities facing social and economic disadvantage, and many children are still facing barriers in accessing timely and appropriate support.
Teaching mindfulness skills offers a promising way to help children cope with everyday challenges. However, existing programmes often rely on screens, require adult support, or fail to keep children engaged.
This project aims to respond to these challenges by exploring a screen-free approach (Stix Mindfulness) that is engaging and designed with input from children. The findings will contribute to wider goals of improving children’s mental wellbeing, reducing health inequalities, supporting prevention, and helping more children access effective mental health support earlier in life.
This project focuses on a screen-free mindfulness programme designed specifically for children. Unlike many current mindfulness programmes that are delivered through mobile apps or classroom lessons, Stix uses two interactive handheld devices that guide children through mindfulness activities using sounds, vibrations, and lights, reducing reliance on screens.
Stix has also been co-designed with children, alongside parents, teachers, mindfulness experts, and clinical psychologists. This means the activities have been curated by the people who will use and support them, helping to make the experience relevant to children’s everyday lives.
The project also focuses on children who may be experiencing mental health challenges but are not yet receiving specialist support, helping to address an important gap in current provision. By working closely with schools, families, and children from diverse communities, the research aims to understand whether Stix is acceptable and practical.
Mental health difficulties in children have been increasing unprecedently. This project explores whether Stix Mindfulness, an engaging, screen-free mindfulness skills training, is an acceptable and practical way to help children develop skills for managing their mental wellbeing.
What is Stix Mindfulness?
Stix Mindfulness aims to teach mindfulness skills to children in a fun and engaging way. It involves training children to practice mindfulness skills using a handheld device (a pair of sticks or Stix) that provides sounds, vibrations, and lights to engage them with the scripted activities delivered using audio files that are downloaded directly the sticks. The learning is made fun and engaging by using age-appropriate rewards (stars, badges and daily streak milestones) that the children can collect on the app or in a diary after completing mindful activities.
Methodology
Children aged 8–10 years will be recruited from local primary schools in West London who have been identified by their schools as needing additional support for their mental health and wellbeing.
Children will be randomly allocated to either:
- Six weeks of Stix Mindfulness training, or
- Standard care provided through their school.
Throughout the study, we will assess:
- Recruitment and retention rates;
- Children's engagement with Stix;
- Acceptability of the Stix Mindfulness skills training;
- Practicality of using Stix at home;
- Suitability of measures for a future large-scale trial.
We will also interview children, parents, caregivers and school staff to understand their experiences and gather their suggestions for improvement to various elements, including the Stix activities and the design of the study itself.
Why is this research important?
Although mindfulness has shown promise for supporting children’s wellbeing, many existing programmes rely on screens or struggle to maintain engagement. Stix aims to provide a child-friendly, engaging and accessible alternative that can be used independently at home with minimal support.
Project Lead
Brunel University of London, working in partnership with schools, families, children and public contributors.
Funding
This research is funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) (NIHR209767).
Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project
Professor Veena Kumari - Professor Veena Kumari obtained a PhD in Psychology from Banaras Hindu University, India in 1993 prior to joining the Institute of Psychiatry, London for post-doctoral research. She became a Beit Memorial Research Fellow in 1999, a Wellcome Senior Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science in 2002, and a Full Professor in 2006 at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (formerly known as the Institute of Psychiatry), King’s College London, UK. She joined Brunel University of London in Jan 2018 as Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Centre for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience (CCN).
Her research interests include the neurobiological effects of pharmacological and psychological treatments in psychosis, neurobiology of violence in mental illness, psychobiology of addiction, and personality and brain functioning. Prof Kumari has over 300 publications in reputed psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience journals and received various national and international awards for her research including the Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance of Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, USA (1999), research fellowship from BEIT Memorial Foundation (1999-2002), the BAP (British Association of Psychopharmacology) Clinical Psychopharmacology Prize (2002), Wellcome Senior Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Science (2002-2009), the prestigious Humboldt Research Award (2014), and most recently a Bonn International Fellowship (2020/21).
Professor Kumari has supervised a large number of post-graduate and doctoral students and served in editor or editorial board member roles for a number of psychology and psychiatry journals.
Related Research Group(s)
Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience - Fundamental and applied research into brain function using techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), eye-tracking, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), infrared thermography together with psychophysics and cognitive behavioural paradigms in health and disease.
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Project last modified 18/08/2026