Brave Little Minds
A week-long small-group experience for anxious rising kindergartners and first graders.
Reserve a Spot
One hour a day, all week
Brave Little Minds is a week-long small-group experience for children who feel nervous about starting kindergarten or first grade. Six children max. Two licensed child therapists. One hour each morning, Monday through Friday.
Each session focuses on the skills anxious kids actually need when things feel unfamiliar. Putting words to what they are feeling. Noticing what their body is doing. Practicing small tools they can reach for when school gets hard. Everything is play-based and paced to where they are.
By Friday, your child has spent a week alongside other kids who feel the same way they do. They have practiced real skills with therapists who understand this age group, and they leave with a few concrete things in their back pocket for the first weeks of school.
For kids who carry extra worry into new situations
Some kids feel the weight of new situations more than others. If your child is one of them, you probably already know it. You might be noticing:
- Separation anxiety or real distress around being away from you
- Big reactions, meltdowns, or shutdowns when school comes up in conversation
- Reluctance to try new things, join new groups, or be around kids they do not know
- Stomachaches, sleep trouble, or clinginess as August gets closer
- Strong reactions to unfamiliar routines, transitions, or new environments
This is not therapy, and your child does not need a diagnosis to participate. If your child is already working with a therapist, Brave Little Minds can sit alongside that work without interrupting it. If you are not sure whether it is a good fit, reach out and we can talk it through.
Four pieces, built to feel like one week
A short intake call
Before the week begins, you and both therapists get on a brief call. You share what you have been seeing at home, what your child is worried about, and anything that will help us meet them where they are on the first morning.
Arrival and opening circle
Children arrive together each day, and we build in time for a soft landing. Nobody has to walk in and immediately be on. Once everyone has settled, we open the session together.
Small-group work, play-based
Each session builds on the one before it. Kids practice naming what they are feeling, noticing what their body is telling them, and trying out tools they can actually use at school. The hour moves between quieter moments and more active ones, and nothing is rushed.
Friday evening parent Q&A
On the last evening of the week, we open the floor to parents. We share what we observed across the week and give you language and strategies to use at home going into the fall. Bring whatever you have been sitting with about your child, the transition to school, or anything else on your mind.
Flat fee, no surprises
- Five mornings of small-group work led by two licensed child therapists
- A pre-week intake call
- All materials and activities
- A Friday evening parent Q&A
Little Minds Therapy is a private-pay practice. We do not bill insurance directly.
A few things parents tend to ask
When is the program?
July 13–17, 2026, 9–10am each morning, in Bethesda, MD.
What ages do you work with?
Rising kindergartners and first graders.
How big is the group?
Six children max. We keep it small on purpose so every child gets real attention and no one gets lost.
Is this therapy?
No. It is a skills-based small-group experience led by licensed therapists. Your child does not need a diagnosis to participate, and it is not a replacement for individual therapy if that is something your child needs.
What does my child need to bring?
Nothing. All activity materials are provided.
Want to talk it through?
Reach out with questions or to hold one of the six spots. We are glad to help you figure out whether this is the right fit.
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