Emotions and stress are common in both kids and adults. When it comes to children, it is your responsibility to teach them how to recognize their emotions. They need strategies to cope with emotions in the household. Luckily, you can find mindfulness books for kids that will help your little one develop – whether it is nothing but their temperament, age or even a diagnosis.
Little Beam’s Journey to Dream, by Amanda Morton-Senior
If you think bedtime is usually a stressful time for your little one, the truth is it can also be an enjoyable experience with the right book by your side. Written by Amanda Morton-Senior, this book is enhanced with exciting illustrations by Renata Rinatovna Fairushina. Apart from the actual story, illustrations will also help your little one understand the story in a more efficient manner.
All in all, this is not the average bedtime story that will get your kid to fall asleep. Instead, it is also a meditative story. It will analyze the feeling of security, meaning your toddler will feel safe exploring their unique dreams. Illustrations will also help in the process, but they will also boost your kid’s creativity in the long run.
The story is calm and pleasant. There are no bad situations or characters. Instead, it will encourage your toddler to identify the connection between their mind and body. It will also focus on the inner calmness and imagination. It will give them the confidence to fall asleep with safety in mind, but also the confidence to enjoy their dreams.
Wondrous You, by Kayla Floyd
Wondrous You is one of your top choices to promote preschool mindfulness. It is great for bedtime, but it also makes a good calming story for a quiet afternoon. It will give your little one guidance through some magical poems. It is provocative, but in a positive manner – basically, it will stimulate your kid to develop calmness and a feeling of safety.
The words are wisely chosen – from titles to the actual poems. Moreover, the book features beautiful illustrations and colors that are proven to calm people down. When it comes to the meaning of these poems, they will help your kid define their place in the world, but also learn how to navigate through their feelings.
Poems cover a plethora of different subjects. For example, your little one may learn how to find their inner voice. Some others will teach kids how to heal themselves from within, not to mention listen to inner energies and understanding what intuition means. Poems are inspired from real life stories, as the author is also a mother.
Listening to My Body, by Gabi Garcia
You just cannot go wrong with this book. It is not necessarily aimed at toddlers, but mostly at kids around eight to 10 years old. It will trigger various emotions, but most importantly, it will help them understand what intuition is and how they can trust their instincts. Moreover, it digs on something that is quite common in children – curiosity.
This is one of the best-rated mindfulness books for kids because it is focused on curiosity. Your little one discovers new things in their environment, but many of them are not explained properly. They are not aware of how to focus their feelings and they cannot understand these new sensations. This book will not explain all these, but teach them how to embrace curiosity.
Listening to My Body is actually an interactive book. It engages children and helps them associate feelings, sensations and the connection between these two. Furthermore, the book is enhanced with various mindfulness activities. In the long run, all these activities will only go in one direction – developing the emotional resilience.
I Am Peace, by Susan Verde
This book takes preschool mindfulness to another level and without feeling too difficult. It is mostly aimed at toddlers. The author has a good reputation when it comes to children’s books, especially after the previous I Am Yoga release. The book does not feature too much wording, but only the essential parts – moreover, there are plenty of pictures to support the message.
So, what does it do after all? As your little one goes through this book, they will learn how to find their inner peace – and not just in any random way, but through mindful practices, activities, techniques and exercises. The book is not suitable for parents only, but it also makes a great addition for teachers in classrooms.
The overall message is quite clear and straightforward – awareness and understanding. Words are simple and easy to understand. In the long run, the book will boost your little one’s imagination, development of emotions and connection with the earth. It is all about being present in the moment and it does a pretty good job at spreading feelings of joy.
Cassidy’s Present, by Sue Mateer
Cassidy is a pup who loves flowers. Cassidy also loves the sun, as well as snowflakes. She has two friends – Charlie and Anna. However, her human friends are too busy with everyday worries and concerns, so distractions affect their relationship. But then, with time, they actually learn to appreciate the present and enjoy small things in life.
Children will learn more skills from this book – learning how to soothe themselves is probably the main one. Whether it comes to music, playing with a dog, walking or breathing, any of these things will lead to a deep feeling of relaxation – in other words, this book is one of the best calm sleep stories out there. It is up to each kid to find out what truly works for them.
Apart from the actual story, the book goes even further and introduces a bunch of exercises as well. There are all kinds of materials that can be kept around and used for further exercises, as well as programs that kids can explore along with their parents – or even by themselves. The book is not suitable for kids only, but also for parents trying to understand their loved ones.
Listening with My Heart, by Gabi Garcia
Most parents tend to focus on one thing when they try to teach their kids about being social, friendly and polite. They want their little ones to be aware of relationships and understand how to be friends with others. However, parents tend to overlook one aspect – teaching children how to be friends with themselves before anyone else.
This book is written in a friendly and educative manner. It is likely to engage your little one, but also trigger some new emotions and feelings. It is focused on self-acceptance, regardless of what kids may not necessarily like about themselves. It is about the positive aspect of self talk in order to develop emotional resilience.
In the long run, this can only lead to one thing – positive self talk. At the same time, long-term results will also include a strong mentality, as well as an overall feeling of joy and happiness. The book touches on a few other subjects as well and will also bring in friendship, kindness and empathy. All in all, it is an all-purpose book for your little one.
A Handful of Quiet, by Thich Nhat Hanh
This is one of the best mindfulness books for kids and stands out in the crowd because it introduces an innovative idea for youngsters. If you think meditation is meant to calm adults down when too stressed, the truth is children can also benefit from it. Sure, it could be challenging to ask your kid to avoid moving for minutes or maintaining balance, but there are other techniques out there.
Pebble meditation is the way forward, especially when it comes to kids. This book promotes some playful activities that will engage your little one. It boosts the necessity of meditation at an early age. Pebbles make the activity fun as well. Not only are they great for your kid’s playful profile, but they will also help establish a connection with nature.
A Handful of Quiet is ideal for children who feel stressed. Apart from calming them down, it will also help them develop better concentration. They will understand what gratitude means and how to deal with new emotions – usually develop after encountering situations they are not familiar with. Children can enjoy pebble meditation by themselves or along with their parents or tutors.
The Mindful Dragon, by Steve Herman
This is one of the most exciting calm sleep stories out there, but it also boosts preschool mindfulness and imagination. It is suitable for kids, yet parents will also discover a fun and engaging story as they go through it with their little ones. The story is all about having a pet dragon, which you can teach how to roll over, stand, sit and so on.
In this story, you are the main character, while your little one is the dragon. It will help children see things from a different perspective – basically, they get the bigger story. So, what happens when your dragon starts worrying? The dragon is worried about everything – things from the past, as well as what the future may have in store.
This is when mindfulness kicks in. You are meant to teach your dragon what mindfulness means. It is a training book for your dragon. But on the same note, your kid will learn from it. When they find themselves in worrying situations, they will apply the knowledge to be mindful and calm about such things. Illustrations are just as handy in the process.
Sitting Still Like a Frog, by Eline Snel
While not that common, kids also have worries and anxieties. Sure, they are not intense as the ones adults go through. They are less likely to worry about bills, mortgages or cars. Instead, they worry about their toys or about doing something stupid. But at the end of the day, it is still a worry that they need to deal with.
This book promotes preschool mindfulness, yet it is also suitable for older kids. It promotes it in a few simple and straightforward ways – suitable for kids, of course. Not only will they understand what it means, but they will also develop better concentration, as well as the ability to deal with stress and anxiety.
This book teaches through playful stories and allows kids to understand how to deal with demanding emotions. There are a bunch of practices focused on particular scenarios, too – the most common ones among youngsters. Kids will learn how to control feelings, manage emotions and become more aware.
Master of Mindfulness, by Laurie Grossman
This book is not necessarily aimed at toddlers. It makes a good addition to your little one’s library. But on the same note, it is also suitable for kids who can actually read – up to 12 years old. It is a fun and pleasant story that will provide soothing feelings, as well as a bit of education on how to deal with emotions. Childhood is meant to be about unicorns, toys and games – but then, what if it is not? What if unexpected situations arise?
The world has never been more chaotic. Compare your own childhood with your kid’s childhood. Things were better back then and things are likely to change in the future as well. Stress is naturally part of the game too. Kids could do with more resources to add to their wellness and this book is focused in that direction. Not only does it come with straightforward advice and easy words, but it also has some illustrations to entice the younger audience.
The book will teach your little one how to keep calm and gain extra confidence, but also how to assess the inner strength and maintain the focus.
Conclusion
Bottom line, these are some of the most successful mindfulness books for kids and for some good reasons. They work on your little one from more directions and can help them understand emotions, happiness and a great focus. More importantly, they will teach kids how to deal with their everyday worries, regardless of how insignificant they may seem.