Children's Books About Mindfulness: My Top 12 Picks for Toddlers and Kids
Every month or so, I like to gather a bunch of topic-themed books to read with my kiddos.
This month’s topic was Mindfulness. And honestly, I wished I would’ve focused on it sooner with my kids!
Even just chatting through some of the concepts in these books has really helped both the babes and I during those oh-so-pivotal “on-the-brink-of-a-true-tantrum” adventures.
Sure, we still have tantrums (and plenty of them), but it’s definitely helped equip me with some proactive parenting techniques. Plus, I’ve started to notice “A” actually labeling some of her emotions and it’s been so neat.
Anyways, I ended up reading through about 20 or so mindfulness books at the library (and 15 book summaries via goodreads) before I finally whittled it down to this official (and delightful) mindfulness dozen.
Yep, here you have it. These are (IMO) the 12 best mindfulness books to add to your family library.
I’ve included brief summary of each book. Hopefully they help you and your family in your own mindfulness journey!
Little Monkey Calms Down
Synopsis | A little monkey experiences a melt down (thanks to some spilled/melted ice cream) and proceeds to use some coping techniques to eventually calm down.
Ideal For | Teaching self-regulation skills to visual learners.
Age Range | 2-4 years
Currently, this is baby “Os” favorite book. The bright illustrations are both easy to understand and entertaining for him. I appreciate how the illustrator portrays some very big (and very real) emotions. The monkey-melt down feels oh-so-relatable!
I love how the author has the monkey list the powerful emotions it was feeling. After the emotions-list, the story moves on to demonstrate some age-appropriate (and fairly realistic) self-regulation skills for young kids—like singing a song, cuddling with a blanket or taking a deep breath.
Calm with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Synopsis | This book doesn’t have much of a storyline, but it uses beautiful illustrations to help a child recognizing emotions and try using three different techniques (breathing, counting or mediation) to help those emotions pass.
Ideal For | Describing how we physically feel emotions.
Age Range | 3 - 5 years
This book essentially describes how certain emotions feel inside our bodies (ex: happy, sad, jumpy, calm or fluttery) and then compares those feelings to how animals and insects move and groove. Inspired by the art of Eric Carle, these illustrations were a hit with my 4-year-old “A” but no so much with Baby “O” yet.
Here’s a little quote I especially enjoyed from the kangaroo page, “When your monkey mind feels too jumpy… take a deep breath…”
I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness
Synopsis | A love-able “hippie” finds himself drifting in a sea of tumultuous thoughts before realizing he can anchor himself by being proactive. First, he takes a deep breath, then he uses three different senses (taste, smell, touch) to stay more present—and peaceful.
Ideal For | Helping children use their senses to celebrate the art of now.
Age Range | 4 - 8 years
The watercolor illustrations in this book are gorgeously minimalist. I also love how our “hippie hero” also mentions how important it is to be both kind and patient with himself as he practices living in the present.
Bonus points to the author for included a guided meditation section in the back of the book.
The Kids' Guide to Staying Awesome and In Control: Simple Stuff to Help Children Regulate their Emotions and Senses
Synopsis | This is a two-part illustrated guide. The first half of the book help kids classify emotions and then supplies them with an ample list of small activities (like fidgeting with manipulatives or holding still with a simple arm-pretzel) and big activities (like wall pushes or jumping jacks) to help navigate those specific emotions. The second half of the book is a resource for adults with a handful of checklists and charts to track their kids’ emotion-regulation journey.
Ideal For | Visual learners who crave a bunch of techniques to help them keep their cool in a classroom setting.
Age Range | 7 - 14 years
This book was written by the Lauren Brukner, the Senior Occupational Therapist and Evaluator in the NYC Department of Education, and it’s utterly brilliant.
Brukner takes her years of experience to help kids deal with (what she considers) are the most common three physical feelings (slow + tired, fast + wiggly, fast + emotional) in a classroom. Her book is basically like an emotional-toolkit. It’s packed full with kid-friendly way navigate those specific feelings.
I appreciate the simple cartoon drawings she included to demonstrate her oh-so-doable techniques.
Meddy Teddy: A Primer for Little Yogis
Synopsis | A board book with a sweet teddy bear doing different yoga poses.
Ideal For | Introducing Yoga
Age Range | 2 - 3 years
So, this book has been raved by the likes popular yogi’s like Summer Perez, and Kristin McGee. It’s also been featured by Cosmopolitan and People magazine. So, yep Meddy Teddy is really trending.
The fun pictures of the teddy bear in various yoga poses is both realistic and relatable. “A” begs to read the book and then together we do the poses. Meanwhile, Baby “O” seems to enjoy the pictures, so it’s a win-win.
I also recently discovered you can actually get your own stuffed Meddy Teddy. The bear is made with some neato internal flexible wiring so your bear will stay in yoga positions too! Plus, the stuffed animal comes with some totally hip yogi accessories that I can’t get enough of.
If your kiddo ever outgrows the board book there’s a version for older kids as well. You can find that here.
ABC for Me: ABC Mindful Me: ABCs for a happy, healthy mind & body
Synopsis | This is an alphabet book that covers 26 different ways you can be mindful.
Ideal For | Helping kids find a mindfulness activity that’ll work for them, their preferences, and their personality.
Age Range | 3 - 6 years
Christiane Engel is one of my favorite illustrators. I was thrilled to find this book from her. Engel’s whimsical work has been featured in BBC, Twix, Unicef, the National Parks Conservation and (hopefully) soon in your own nursery library.
I also appreciate the “What is mindful” section in the back of the book and the fun interactive-activities it suggests. I also like how she introduced a lot of unique ways to be mindful, from helping clean-up plastic on a beach, to her “X-marks the Spot” page that describes finding your own “natural” treasures in nature.
This book also wins our C&C EcoFriendly Award for being printed on FSC sourced paper.
Mind Hug: The First Story
Synopsis | Jack feels “fizzy” and stressed from his racing thoughts and confusing feelings. He remembers a new skill his dad taught him called a “Mind Hug” and uses the skill to eventually feel better. Jack then teaches his friend, Sarah, how to do a '“Mind Hug” too when she is feeling stressed.
Ideal For | Explaining the how mindfulness can help use each day in a way that is relatable to kids.
Age Range | 5 - 7 years
This paperback book is a bit hefty—40 pages long. But, it’s still a quick read with some short sentences on each page. I especially like how the book talks about mindfulness from a child’s point of view.
This book was created by consulting with specialists from The Emotion Coaching project, Bath Spa University and Sarah Gibbs (a psychotherapist with 12+ years of clinical expertise and the founder of Smartcbt.
Also, a portion of the proceeds of each book is donated to a mental health charity called Place2Be. There’s also this neato free download that corresponds with the book’s message.
Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing
Synopsis | This is an alphabet book where each letter stands for a different breathing technique.
Ideal For | Using imagination to empower mindful breathing.
Age Range | 5 - 7 years
I love reading one page out of this book a day with “A”. Her recent favorite types of breath have been a “Cake Breath” (where she pretends to blow out birthday cake candles) and the “Ninja Breath” (where she tries to breath as quietly as she can while standing ninja-esch).
Alphabreaths was written by a dynamic duo. It’s the work of Christopher Willard, a clinical psychologist and faculty member of Harvard Medical School, and Daniel Rechtschaffen, the director of Mindful Education. I also thought it was neat that during the pre-sell of this book, the authors partnered with The Sounds True Foundation to donate donated 750 Alphabreaths books to the Books For Kids project.
This book also comes with a downloadable guide and activity book here. The guide has some fun ideas and a cool DIY Alphabreaths card deck project.
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings
Synopsis | This is a die-cut book that explores a wide range of emotions, all while describing how those emotions physically feel.
Ideal For | Helping toddlers understand correlate the physical sensations they feel on the daily to emotions.
Age Range | 2 - 4 years
So this book is actually just one out of the oh-so-impressive French-based Growing Hearts series.
I love how there is a neat cutout of a heart on almost every page and how that heart progressively changes sizes as you move closer to the end of the book.
The words are a bit lyrical to keep Baby “O” entertained but “A” really related to the descriptions for Brave, Afraid, and Silly.
Mindful Moments at Bedtime
Synopsis | This book is filled with 12 short kid-friendly meditations on every page.
Ideal For | Your first foray into guided meditations with your kiddo.
Age Range | 2 - 6 years
I adore how this book has thick, matte pages (almost like a board book) and the illustrations are really lovely. The glitter on the cover was sweet extra-textile touch. Pun intended!
I especially appreciate some of the interactive aspects, like finger tracing, tapping and discussion questions.
Mindful Moments at Bedtime has become a staple in my late-night routine with “A”—I let her pick a page and then I’ll read the mediation while she is snuggled up next to me. It’s such a thoughtful way to end the day.
Stop! Breathe! and Think!
Synopsis | LeMar’s special drawing has gone missing at preschool—she eventually finds her drawing in the trash and is on the brink of a meltdown. The teacher, the students and LeMar, practice a technique to help LeMar work through some strong feelings.
Ideal For | Promotes emotional intelligence with real-life preschool-struggles.
Age Range | 2 - 4 years
This is a self-published paperback book with some cute cartoon-like illustrations. I’ve enjoyed reading through the book since it’s filled with plenty of open-ended questions for “A” to respond to. It’s actually started a lot of great discussions between her and I.
I also liked the solution-focused approach to solving LeMar’s missing art. I wish the author would’ve expanded just a touch more on the “Stop! Breath! and Think!” technique at the end.
The Lemonade Hurricane: A Story of Mindfulness and Meditation
Synopsis | Emma helps her rambunctious little brother Henry learn how to “sit, bow, and breath” to calm his hurricane-like actions.
Ideal For | Giving kids the tools to use their imagination to find mindful moments.
Age Range | 4 - 7 years
This book is grown-up free, instead it’s a sibling journey through a bunch of after-school activities (violin, soccer and karate) all while Emma tries to help Henry find his calm. Eventually, Emma invites Henry to use his imagination. First, he pretends he is on a mountain. Then, he pretends to be a bustling breeze, and finally, he is becomes an elephant rider.
In the back of this book there’s some neat tips from the author on a wide range of meditation topics. Plus, theres a cool anecdote describing how lemonade relates to our own inner-hurricanes.
Whew, that’s my roundup of my favorite mindfulness books. Was there a book you especially enjoyed? Did I miss a book that you think I should add to this collection? DM my sister and I on Instagram via @CalmandChic and I’ll try my best to check it out.
XOXO,
Hazel
