Bring peace and thoughtful living to your whole family.
Reading with a child is itself an exercise in mindfulness, especially if you take care to notice each sentence and each illustration as the pages turn.
For older readers, we also offer lists of chapter books on Mindfulness & Gratitude.
Talk about the issue.
Take a moment to notice five new things about the person next to you.
Think quietly about your day for four deep breaths. What are you thankful for?
Find a peaceful place to sit or walk slowly in nature. Then share observations using all five of your senses (something you see - something you smell - something you feel - something you taste - something you hear).
When do you find it most difficult to be mindful or fully able to notice the present moment?
When do you find it easiest to be mindful?
Want to incorporate more mindfulness in your family? Be sure to read tips from our big-hearted Blogger: On Mindfulness: Nine Tools for a More Grateful, Peaceful, and Connected Family Life
Featured Title
My Body Is a Rainbow: The Color of My Feelings by Malika Chopra
Using color visualizations and breathing exercises, the author takes young children through a calming body scan meditation. By the end of the story, your child will be imagining a rainbow of colors radiating from their body, and be sure to feel calmer and happier.
The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
Animals provide Taylor, whose recent special creation was destroyed, with different ways to handle frustration. This story provides an excellent platform to think about how your child handles challenging situations. It ultimately emphasizes the power of listening.
Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey
Whether pretending to be a bear in hibernation or blowing on hypothetical hot chocolate, this book uses imaginative play to teach children the tenets of guided meditation in age-appropriate ways.
A Handful of Quiet by Thich Nhat Hanh
Discover a meditation practice developed by Thich Nhat Hanh as part of the Plum Village community’s work with children.
Charlotte and the Quiet Place by Deborah Sosin
Join Charlotte as she discovers the beauty of silence and the ability to harness that stillness wherever she is.
I am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde and Peter Reynolds
I Am Human, I Am Love, and I Am One comes a lyrical, easily understood introduction to mindfulness, reminding us all to breathe, notice the world around us, share kindness, and be present in the here and now.
This award-winning story of imagination and friendship is told entirely through pictures. Enjoy each page silently together for a simple, mindful activity, and share your thoughts at the end. Or invite your child to tell the story to you.
My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing by Nick Ortner
This beautifully designed, interactive book introduces kids to a simple breathing pattern, essential for soothing strong emotions and welcoming in happiness.
Munchy and Jumpy Tales by Noah Teitelbaum
This book is a unique tool to help kids recognize the importance of paying attention, taking deep breathes, and doing their best to recognize their own emotions. Written by the director of EmpoweringEducation.org, this one-of-a-kind book is designed to be read-aloud and discussed. In fact, discussion questions and fun action prompts are sprinkled throughout the four stories in this volume. Young readers will love following Munchy and Jumpy on their “double days,” or mindful repeats of days gone bad.
No One But You by Douglas Wood
Take a close look at the astonishing, everyday wonders that make life beautiful. And consider how your own personal experiences, great and small, combine to make you absolutely unique.
Our Family's Doing Yoga by SonJoria Sydnor
Experience the fun a child has as his family bonds through yoga and mindfulness. Then, try out family-friendly yoga poses and games with your family!
Quiet by Tomie dePaola
We all need a little quiet in our lives. This book offers the perfect invitation to begin. Breath deep, notice the world around you, and learn to simply be.
The Three Questions: Based on a Story by Leo Tolstoy by Jon J Muth
Follow Nikolai on his quest to answer three important questions: Who is the most important one? What is the most important thing? When is the most important time? Amid all of this food for thought, your family will cheer for Nikolai as he rescues someone in need.
The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor
Practice the mindful art of listening to nature with this poetic, whimsical story. Grown ups and children alike will be inspired to spend more time noticing what the world around them has to say.
This wonderfully illustrated picture book is more a guided mediation than story. Yet its simple presentation does a wonderful job of showing us all how mindfulness feeds creativity and imagination. You're sure to end the story looking for more ways to bring silence into your life.
What Does it Mean to Be Present? by Rana Diorio
If you're looking for a straight forward introduction to mindfulness, this colorful book offers a charming foundation. You won't find a story here, as much as a launch pad for your mindfulness conversation.
Stillwater the panda shares three ancient Zen stories with his neighbor friends. Each story carries the answer to a challenge faced by one of his friends and, in every case, a challenge we all face at some time or another. These memorable tales are wonderful conversation starters. Even better, they are likely to come up time and again when your children notice similar problematic mindsets come up in their own lives.
Let yourselves be carried away by the imaginative poetry of this unusual book. Invite children (and grown ups too!) to act out the colorful descriptions as you become the Earth itself. This book wonderfully accompanies any effort to teach children yoga, take a mindfulness walk through nature, or begin an exploration of the scientific wonders of the natural world.
This beautiful book empowers children to discover the quiet places that feed their spirits, including the many adventures that await between the covers of a good book.
Something’s Wrong! by Jory John
This silly story perfectly illustrates the anxious current of thoughts that distract us all sometimes, while showing the power of friendship to smooth over an awkward situation.
Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and their parents) by Eline Snel
This last recommendation is a life skills book rather than a parenting book. You'll find creative, practical tools for meditation with children in the book and on its accompanying CD. In just ten minutes a couple of times each week, your family can develop useful mindfulness skills to relieve stress in an anxious child, ward off tantrums, and improve coping skills for your whole family.
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