In different articles we have discussed the importance of meditation and mindfulness to children. We have given you some recommendations on how to practice it with them at home, and today we are going one step further. We are going to recommend some books so that you know how to approach relaxation at home with your baby and your children. With these books children will learn a series of relaxation and concentration techniques, which will be very beneficial.
The basic idea, which we have discussed other times, is that children learn what they see. And meditating or practicing mindfulness is much more than just sitting in the living room or bedroom for a while each day. It is a vital attitude that you must know how to transmit to your children, so that they have a better life.
Books that are already classics to meditate with children
We recommend a couple of books that have already become classics when approaching meditation at home and with your children. In addition to these, books are also used by, and teachers in schools. We recommend that you have at least one of them in the library. Both are in digital format for the most modern moms.
- Calm and attentive like a frog, aimed at boys and girls between 5 and 12 years old, by Eline Snel is that book that you cannot miss. On its pages you will find how to help children calm down and relax, and focus on what they are doing. This book offers short, simple stories and exercises for children to practice mindfulness method developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn on a daily basis.
- Mindfulness for children, by Paloma Sainz Vara de Rey, is a book designed for both mothers and children. Through very simple exercises, and a daily practice with breathing exercises, emphasizes mindfulness or mindfulness. It allows a conscious and intentional way of tuning in to what is happening inside and around the child.
Meditation stories for children
Another way of bring your children closer to meditation and mindfulness is through stories, and stories adapted to their ages. In this sense, we recommend:
- Starlight. Meditation for children. A book with an attractive, warm and personal style. The author proposes a series of meditation exercises that will reinforce the safety and confidence of children, drawing inspiration from her own personal experience.
- Imaginations: Relaxing stories and fun meditations for kids, is a highly recommended book for teaching children to lead happy, relaxed, and peaceful lives. Stories are offered on its pages to help children relax their minds. The stories are very imaginative, full of joy and fantasy.
- One meter from the ground is a story for children between 5 and 8 years. Samir, a Nepalese boy who has lived through an earthquake, has to learn to live in Rome. But everything is too difficult for him, and he decides to return to Nepal to ask a monk for advice to learn to manage his emotions and control his thoughts through his kite.
More stories to teach children to relax
Other stories that will serve the little ones and moms as well, are for example:
- The crab and the whale by Mark Pallis and Christiane Kerr is recommended for children ages 2 and up. In this story you will teach your children mindfulness through the story of a crab that helps a whale get through a bad day. It does so through conscious breathing and stimulation of the senses, listening to the story the child will practice the different breaths.
- A quiet forest, by the writer Patricia Díaz Caneja, it is a story for children, also with fantastic illustrations. It is a very gradual approach to meditation and it hooks children without them even realizing it. Recommended from 4 years.
- Emilia's secret, by Marina Lisemberg invites you to discover what it consists of mindfulness practice through the eyes of a girl. It proposes to focus attention on the present, with kindness and curiosity. When children learn to record their body sensations, emotions, and thoughts, they can better choose how to relate to themselves and to others.