Picture Books to Encourage Mindful Kids
Most of us are just trying to stay afloat in a society that praises hustle culture. Often, the greatest challenge for teachers and parents alike, is to choose the road less traveled and just allow ourselves to be.
By learning how to find pockets of peace throughout our days, we are modeling and validating the importance and gratification of them doing the same. It doesn’t have to be cross-legged. Nor close-eyed. In fact, some of the most extraordinary mindful moments happen through observation, discussion and connection.
Mindfulness has been proven to:
∙ Support focus & attention
∙ Help regulate emotions & improve impulse control
∙ Build gratitude, empathy & resilience
∙ Improve sleep quality
∙ Improve planning and organizational skills
As always, if you are looking for inspiration and support when it comes to integrating big topics like mindfulness into your socal-emotional learning program, turning to picture books is often the simplest and most impactful answer.
So let’s dive into some of my current top ten children’s books on mindfulness.
This book shows us the lessons that we can learn from living our day-to-day lives more like a dog. From letting the wind ruffle your fur, to whirling and swirling in and tasting the snow (but not if it’s yellow of course), your children will be charmed by the bursts of interactive text by Maria Gianferrari and stunning paper cut-out illustrations by Pete Oswald.
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I am a Peaceful Goldfish by Shoshana Chaim
About:
This is an interactive read aloud about coping skills to spark imagination. When two children are overwhelmed, they come up with a variety of creative ways that they can practice deep breathing (inspired by, you guessed it, their pet goldfish).
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Mindful Day by Deborah Hopkinson
About:
A young girl's appreciation for the upcoming day begins with the fluff of a bird's feathers and the sound of his song. The story follows this ordinary day, filled with extraordinary things to be grateful for.
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Meena's Mindful Moment by Tina Athaide
About:
Wherever Meena goes, her hurly burly hullaballoo follows. Unable to stop twirling and hurrying, she looks to Dada for some strategies to squeeze in some peaceful moments amongst life's exciting ones.
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Mindful Mr. Sloth by Katy Hudson
About:
Sasha likes to go fast. So when Mr. Sloth keeps asking her to, "Stooooppppp" during the big bicycle race to notice the elements around her, she becomes increasingly frustrated. That is, until she begins to see everything she had been missing by zooming through the zen.
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Tisha and the Blossom by Wendy Meddour
About:
Tisha's day begins by chasing a floating, falling blossom, but soon crashes into a series of rushed people yelling, "Hurry up!". It's not until she tells her mom that she is tired of rushing, that her mom decides that what they really need is to take the long way home and count all the spectacular things that they see along the way.
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Just to See by Morgane de Cadier
About:
"A simple, fanciful story about the rewards of courageously exploring the unknown." -Kirkus Reviews
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Zen Pig: The Art of Gratitude by Mark Brown
About:
This is a series of life lessons from Zen Pig who walks readers through the simple principles of being humble, grateful and mindful each day.
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My Magic Breath by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor
About:
An interactive read aloud that draws readers in to normalize talking about and acknowledging their feelings.It then encourages them to recognize that they've had within them the power to overcome these emotions- through their magical breath!
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Listen by Gabi Snyder
About:
A girl reminds us that it is easy to become overwhelmed by day-to-day noises, hustle and bustle, but by focusing on what the sounds are telling us, we can become more grounded and grateful.
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& don't forget... at the end of Lily May & the Ruby Shoes Blues, you can find engaging mindful activities to support big emotions and positive self-talk.
Photo credit: @torontoteacher
What are some of your favorite mindful picture books?
Let me know in the comments below!
Much love,
