Breathe Like a Bear is a sweet way to teach children breathing techniques. The are 30 breathing techniques in 5 different categories (calm, focus, imagine, make some energy and relax). Each breath has a child friendly name and illustration to help them remember them. After reading this book, I made up cards for each breath and put them into a jar. We pick a new one each morning to try out. We LOVE this book and think it would be great for ages 3 and up.
We are HUGE Peter Reynolds fans in this house. We have EVERY book he has ever illustrated/written. This book I am Peace by Susan Verde is the PERFECT introduction to Mindfulness. The fun illustrations will take you on a mindful journey and teach people of all ages, what it means to be mindful. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE ages 3 and up. This powerful writer/illustrator team also has a book called I am Yoga!
This book is another great way to introduce the concept of mindfulness to children. This book starts with AWARENESS and ends with ZEN. I love the bright and colorful illustrations and the kid friendly language in this book. It is a quick read and a great way to inspire your family to be more mindful. I’d recommend this book for ages 3 and up. This series also has an ABC of Yoga book.
This book walks children through what it means to live in the present moment. It talks about listening, noticing, focus, gratitude, patience, growth mindset and realizing that today is a gift. This book has fun illustrations and kid friendly language and would be perfect for ages 4 and up.
This mindful tale is about a crab who leads a mindful life and a whale who washes up on the shore. The crab offers to stay with the whale while they wait for the tide to come back in. While they wait, crab teaches whale ways to stay calm and mindful. At the end of this sweet book they have breathing exercises to try. This book is free on Kindle Unlimited would be perfect for ages 3 and up.
Sitting meditations are not for everybody, especially when you are just starting out. Mindful Movements is a great book to help guide you and your family, through moving mediations. This wonderful book was written by Thich Nhat Hanh and includes a DVD to help you. The book presents 10 routines for people of all ages and abilities. We have this book and we really enjoy the routines.
YOGA BOOKS
This is a favorite book in our house. The story is about a class of children sharing what their parents do for a living. Each child shares a different profession and the book takes you through 9 different yoga poses that relate to those professions. It is a fun and active book to share with children ages 3-8.
This is another fun and active book to share with children. It works through the entire alphabet and there is a yoga pose for each letter. This is a great way for children to learn 26 different poses through rhymes and colorful illustrations. This is a great book for ages 3 and up.
Yoga is a very relaxing way to help children get ready for bed. This story helps your children to slow down and prepare for sleep. The story takes you through 11 gentle poses that focus on stretching, breathing and relaxing. The illustrations are beautiful and this book would make the perfect bedtime story for children ages 3 and up. The author also has a Good Morning Yoga story (see it below)!
This is a beautiful picture book helps children learn the yoga poses of the Sun Salutation flow. This is a wonderful book to teach children this energizing series of poses that can help them start their day. This author also has the book Hello, Moon! A Yoga Moon Salutation for Bedtime (see it below).
This is one of five books in the I Am..series by Susan Verde. This book encourages young children to explore the world of yoga through fun and simple poses. We have all 5 books and they are well loved in our house. Peter H. Reynolds does the illustrations for this wonderful book series and he is one of our FAVORITE illustrators.
Games
We have this beautiful deck from Barefoot Books and use it almost EVERY day. The card deck is made up of 50 sturdy, high quality cards that are color coded and divided into 5 categories (Start Your Day, Find Calm, Focus, Open Your Heart and Rest and Relax). The activities are easy to do and involve little to no prep. This product is for ages 3 and up.
I do not have these cards but they had good reviews on Amazon. Here is what the publisher says: “Be Mindful cards offer you 50 ways to be present to your life as it is actually taking place. These cards help you be in the here and now with less thinking about the past or worrying about the future. You can use these daily mindfulness strategies when you re feeling anxious, moody, angry, or just need to relax. Perfect to manage your everyday stressors: School demands, worry, sadness, problems with relationships and difficulties paying attention and focusing.”
This book, written for teens, is in my wishlist for Amazon. It has great reviews and here is what the publisher had to say: “Being a teen is stressful! Whether it’s school, friends, or dating, the teen years are full of difficult changes―both mentally and physically. If you’re like many teens, you may have difficulty dealing with stress in effective ways. You aren’t alone, and there are things you can do to stay calm, no matter how stressful life becomes. All you need to do is stop, breathe, and be mindful and aware in the present moment. The Mindful Teen offers a unique program based in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to help you deal with stress. The simple, practical, and easy-to-remember tips in this book can be used every day to help you handle any difficult situation more effectively―whether it’s taking a test at school, having a disagreement with your parents, or a problem you are having with friends.”
Big Life Journals
One of my favorite resources for helping my kids to DREAM BIG and to set goals is our Big Life Journals. We have had our Big Life Journals since the very beginning when they launched as a Kick Starter Campaign.
The Big Life Journal is a journal your child fills out with an older buddy. My son picked myself as his buddy and my daughter picked my husband. Kids can pick ANYONE and have weekly, bi-weekly or monthly Skype or phone calls with their buddy. The idea is that the buddy and the child read the journal together and the buddy helps the child to respond to the prompts. Just this year they came out with a version for teens and I am so excited to get our copy for my son.
The Big Life Journal website also have lots of resources (many FREE) about helping your kids to develop their growth mindset, set goals, build self-esteem and practice mindfulness. Click HERE for their post on 5 Mindful Activities and a FREE printable.
Kids in Service 