Kathryn the Grape was on stage at the Fiesta del Sol Music Festival in Solana Beach, California, on May 30, 2026.
Kathryn Cloward performs under the name Kathryn the Grape. She is an award-winning children’s recording artist, a bestselling author, and a certified social-emotional character development instructor.
This new 13-track release fuses music, movement, and meaningful content with hands-on social-emotional learning resources
Just as an athlete hones skills through repeated practice, we build our social-emotional abilities by practicing and taking part. Music offers a fun way to practice and develop together.”— Kathryn Cloward
SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Kathryn Cloward, an award-winning children’s recording artist known as Kathryn “the Grape,” a bestselling author, and a Certified Social-Emotional Learning Instructor (Rutgers University), has announced the launch of STOP SLOW GO. This 13-track Kathryn the Grape® children’s album was intentionally written, created, and arranged to offer engaging, music-based tools that support social-emotional learning and character development.
Every song on the album aligns with one or more of the five core competencies outlined in the CASEL framework: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
STOP SLOW GO is grounded in research-backed methods that have been shown to promote positive outcomes in children’s social-emotional growth through music, movement, active engagement, and participation. Kathryn the Grape’s body of work combines music, movement, and impactful messages to make social-emotional learning engaging, memorable, and accessible for children.
The album’s title track, STOP SLOW GO, draws on a well-known traffic-signal concept to help children develop a foundational understanding of self-regulation and responsible decision-making. Kids are encouraged to notice what their bodies and emotions are telling them as they stop, slow down, or proceed, intentionally choosing what to do next. Self-management and responsible decision-making are areas where parents and educators often seek extra support, and STOP SLOW GO was designed to address that need through music that children can actively engage with and recall.
“Social-emotional learning and character development aren’t a single worksheet or workshop that you complete once. They are an ongoing practice we use every day,” Cloward said. “Just as an athlete hones skills through repeated practice, we build our social-emotional abilities by practicing and taking part. Music gives children and the adults in their lives a fun way to practice together and carry meaningful conversations beyond the song.”
Drawing on Cloward’s extensive experience performing interactive and educational shows for children, STOP SLOW GO is deliberately sequenced to mirror a Kathryn the Grape live performance. The album opens with upbeat dance-along and hand-motion songs that encourage active participation, then moves into vibrant, message-focused tracks, and concludes with three acoustic pieces that slow the pace and let the messages take center stage. The final track, Daily Goodness, is a seven-minute guided mindfulness experience that includes breathwork, affirmations, and positive statements.
The album experience extends beyond audio through interactive dance-along and hand-motion videos, along with supplementary learning tools that promote active involvement while reinforcing core skills such as body awareness, listening, self-regulation, self-control, and following cues.
Cloward’s work is intentionally focused on children, families, and educators. Children’s music and media are not a side project or an offshoot of other creative work—helping children grow and learn is the central purpose of everything she does. In addition to writing and producing music, books, and videos, Cloward regularly performs for children and families across Southern California. In 2025, she delivered 153 Kathryn the Grape shows, and 210 performances were either completed or contracted for 2026. Whether at schools, libraries, malls, festivals, or community events, Cloward goes where children and families gather, bringing the same mission to every setting: equipping children with practical tools they can carry throughout life.
STOP SLOW GO becomes available on major digital music platforms starting August 21, 2026. Videos and additional learning resources can be found at KathryntheGrape.com.
STOP SLOW GO Tracklist
1. Friends Forever (Dance Party)
2. Stop Slow Go
3. Choosing Kindness (Dance Party)
4. Shine Shine Shine (Dance Party)
5. Boomerang
6. I Am Unique
7. Freeze Dance
8. Love Kindness and Peace
9. Love Makes a Family
10. Stop Slow Go (Acoustic)
11. Choosing Kindness (Acoustic)
12. Shine Shine Shine (Acoustic)
13. Daily Goodness
About Kathryn the Grape®
Kathryn the Grape® is an award-winning children’s music and media brand founded by Kathryn Cloward with the goal of helping children feel good about themselves and develop practical tools for navigating life. Cloward is a bestselling author, award-winning songwriter and recording artist, producer, educator, and Certified Social-Emotional Learning Instructor. Through original music, books, videos, live performances, and learning resources, Kathryn the Grape blends music, movement, and meaningful messages to foster confidence, kindness, emotional awareness, self-regulation, connection, and responsible choices.
More at KathryntheGrape.com
Kathryn Cloward
Kathryn the Grape (Kandon Unlimited, Inc.)
kathryn@kathrynthegrape.com
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Hand motions and lyrics for STOP SLOW GO are presented in this Kathryn the Grape social-emotional learning song for children.
