Yoto Moshi Cards – Mindfulness for Kids REVIEW
Ad – Yoto Moshi Cards gifted for review
We’re huge Yoto Player fans in this house. Over the last few months in particular, it’s fair to say that Yoto – the screen free kid friendly audio player and the Yoto Mini – have totally transformed my children’s bedtime routine. Since the pandemic, both of my daughters (aged 9 and 6) have struggled to sleep and switch off at night time, experiencing racing thoughts, worries or anxiety, or simply being unable to drift off and get a good night’s rest.
The Yoto player has been a huge help (for all of us!). The Yoto OK to wake clock has helped my youngest determine when it’s time to stay in bed, so the constant nighttime visits have reduced. The child who is scared of the dark has been comforted by the nightlight and relaxing soundscapes and sleep sounds. The Yoto stories and mindfulness cards have helped both my girls become calm and relaxed before bed, whilst Jake’s morning Yoto Daily podcast has helped improve even the worst of their grumpy morning moods.
This February, Yoto have introduced an exciting new collaboration with Moshi Kids – an incredibly popular mindfulness app for kids that is loved by parents and kids alike across the globe. We were super excited to test out the Yoto Moshi cards with the girls and see if practising mindfulness could help further improve our daily routine.
What is mindfulness?
In a modern world, it can be easy for children to experience information overload. Constant stimulation combined with screen time, social media and the fall out from the Covid-19 pandemic, means that our children are experiencing more mental health and wellbeing challenges than ever before.
Mindfulness is the art of trying to stop the constant noise. Taking a moment to observe our surroundings and pay attention to the present, our thoughts and feelings and the world around you.
Learning to pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes that exist in the present moment, can help us understand our emotions and behaviours and as such, cope better with challenge experiences such as pressure, stress and anxiety.
How does mindfulness help our children?
Mindfulness can be hugely beneficial for children, particularly those with autism, ADHD or anxious thoughts, or those that may be prone to sensory overload.
Practised regularly, mindfulness can help reduce our children’s stress levels, help with key transitions during their lives such as a new house or school and even help them focus better – whether that’s paying more attention in class or being able to control their emotions and reduce disruptive behaviour.
Best of all, mindfulness can help boost our children’s self esteem and confidence, helping them overcome emotional challenges whilst building their resilience along the way.
Who are Moshi Kids?
Moshi Kids is a mindfulness app made specifically for kids. It’s developed somewhat of an iconic status amongst parents for it’s magical sleep powers and you only have to read a few of the 60,000+ 5-star reviews to realise that it’s got a pretty glowing reputation.
Aimed at children from birth through to around 10 years old (although just as enjoyable for grown ups too), Moshi Kids mindfulness tecniques include:
- Stories that can help children sleep
- Moments to calm them down
- Music to help them focus
- Sounds to help them relax
- Meditations to help them recenter
Moshi Sounds are the ideal white noise for babies and toddlers, whilst older children will look forward to falling asleep with Moshi Sleep Meditations, exploring an imaginary world full of little characters called Moshlings.
Yoto vs Moshi
Moshi Kids is a great mindfulness subscription, but with an annual cost of £59.99, it can be more of an investment than some families are willing to pay, particularly if you want to give it a try before you commit or listen to it as part of a wider audio experience.
The first of the long awaited Yoto Moshi cards release were revealed on the 2nd February 2023, with Yoto announcing their first ever partnership with the popular children’s mindfulness app.
This February has seen the arrival of two exclusive to Yoto Moshi cards – Magical Stories and Friends Forever, which are priced at just £6.99 each – a great way for a parents to dip their toe into the world of Moshlings without a premium price tag.
Even better news, four more Moshi cards are expected to launch on Yoto later in the Summer – Close Your Eyes, Love the World, Under the Sea and Feel Good.
We’ve been sent the first two Yoto Moshi cards to put through their paces… heres the Real Mum Reviews verdict!
Moshi Magical Stories
RRP – £6.99
Running Time – 55 minutes
Features: Two Yoto Moshi stories – Cali the Moonlit Mermaid (approx 30 minutes) and Jeeper’s Fantabulous Flying Carpet (approx 25 minutes)
Yoto say:
Heartwarming and magical, this Moshi Story tells of Cali the Mermaid princess’s forbidden romance with a lovestruck Moshling called Linton, deep beneath the moonlit waves of Potion Ocean. Kids can drift to sleep as they soar into the Moshi skies, over breathtaking sights, on a magic carpet piloted by Blue Jeepers, a cute little Moshling tiger cub who loves to travel. This epic moonlit journey is as
enchanting as it is sleeping, for grown ups as well as little ones.
Our Verdict:
This Yoto Card has such calming vibes. The first story is set beneath the sea. With dreamy harp like music, a slow and softly spoken narrator, it’s a subtle rhyming love story that lasts just over 30 minutes. Due to its slow and steady pace, it makes a great choice for a calm and stress free bedtime. With a repeated, familiar chorus, you may find yourself singing it in the shower the following day.
The 2nd story has a deeper voiced narrator and is a more magical / exciting adventure (think Aladdin). Jeepers’ is an adventurous Moshling tiger club who loves to travel in the moonlight. This story still has the same haunting and somewhat hypnotic audio and repeated chorus about dreams which you can’t help but zone into. The story encourages you to imagine yourself on the flying carpet yourself, encouraging you to clear your mind and picture the scene, sights and smells as you ride. Even as a grown up, you find yourself losing yourself in the music, we loved it. RMR Rating – 5/5!
Yoto Moshi Forever Friends
RRP – £6.99
Running Time – 23 minutes
Features: Two stories – Kindness, Caring and Sharing with Dewy (5.48 minutes) and Making friends like Flumpy (18.22 minutes)
Yoto says:
Kids can fill up with happy energy as they learn about empathy alongside Dewy in this fun Moshi Moment that explains how putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can help you to understand how others are feeling. This relaxing session also touches upon the benefits of kindness, caring and sharing, and will leave little ones with plenty to ponder about the power of compassion. Your dreams will be filled with wondrous stuff, once you learn how to make friends in Flumpy the Pluff. He’s the softest, squishiest, friendliest Moshling in the land!
Our Verdict:
The shorter of the two Moshi Yoto cards, this card is great for reflection and having some calm screen free time to process their thoughts and feelings. The first story focuses on Kindness, Caring and Sharing. With a story about friendship, it encourages children to imagine themselves in someone else’s shoes and think about the other person’s feelings and why they act the way they do. With an overarching message of kindness and treating people as you would like to be treated yourself. this story is very much like the last part of a yoga session. It encourages children to calm and relax their breathing and be aware of their body as they lie down.
The second story introduces Flumpy the Fluff and is all about friendships. Great for bedtime, it encourages children to snuggle up and relax. We love the repeated enchanting chorus of the Flumpy song, which reminds children that ‘the most important friendships are the ones you have with you’. This story rhymes beautifully and reminds children to listen, talk and share to show kindness to others. We love the way the music gently fades out at the end. RMR Rating 4/5
Our Thoughts on Yoto x Moshi
It’s fair to say we absolutely LOVE the new Yoto Moshi Cards and are now really excited about the other cards coming later in the year. We tested the Moshi Yoto cards with both of my daughters – Neve aged 6 and Erin aged 9. Here’s what they had to say in their own words!
Erin – “The Moshi music is really calming and I enjoy listening to it when I’m bed. It distracts me from thinking about school or worrying or even thinking about trying to get to sleep. Even if I am still awake of the end of the story I find I’m thinking about Moshlings and more positive thoughts and that helps me a lot.”
Neve – ‘I love the music and Flumpy is the best – its helped me to be kind and breathe at bedtime”
As a parent, I love that the Moshi Yoto cards make mindfulness activities more accessible to parents – particuarly the fact it allows non Moshi customers to be introduced to the wonderful world of Moshlings, The benefits of mindfulness and meditation are proven and in a time where our children’s mental health and wellbeing has taken a bit of a battering, it’s great to see more screen free solutions that can calm, relax and help our children to get a better night’s sleep – which lets face it, is a positive for us all.
Whilst the Moshi cards didn’t instantly send my children to sleep (they’re not a magic wand after all) – I did find that they stayed in bed and calmly listened, whereas normally they are in and out of bed like a yoyo. The stories are captivating and entertaining, whilst slowing their breathing, stimulating their senses and clearing their mind of any other worries or anxieties. Cali the Moonlit Mermaid and Making Friends like Flumpy are the girls two favourite stories for bed time, whilst the others are great to listen to whilst they are colouring in, playing with toys or simply having a moment of calm. I love that the stories remind them about the importance of kindness and friendship too, and that sometimes behaviours can be caused by jealously or sadness.
Where can I buy the Moshi Yoto Cards?
The first two Moshi Yoto cards are available to buy now and retail at £6.99 each. You can order them now from the Yoto store. As it stands, the Moshi cards are not included in the Yoto Club membership, however Yoto Club members still benefit from the 10% off and free postage.
Don’t have a Yoto yet?
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New to Yoto? – check out our Yoto Player and Yoto Mini Reviews below, as well as our verdict on the Best Yoto cards for all ages and a step by step guide on how to make your own Yoto Cards.