Mindful Me: Mindfulness and Meditation for Kids

by Whitney Stewart, Stacy Peterson (Illustrator)

Sometimes kids' lives can get busy and out of control, and worries can take over. When that happens, knowing how to pause and regain composure with mindfulness can help! This easily digestible guide introduces kids to mindfulness as a way to find clarity, manage stress, handle difficult emotions, and navigate personal challenges. With over 30 breathing, relaxation, and guided meditation exercises, including step-by-step instructions, readers will have an entire toolkit at their disposal, and writing prompts will help them process their discoveries.

Genres: Nonfiction, Meditation, Childrens, Spirituality, Mental Health, Picture Books, Middle Grade

163 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2018

About the author

Whitney Stewart has interviewed the 14th Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Sir Edmund Hillary for her young adult biographies. She has traveled all over Europe and Asia to write her books. When she is not writing, she is usually visiting schools and libraries to give talks.

Her personal interests are in reading, traveling, yoga, meditation, and sea kayaking. She lives with her husband and son.

Reviews

[Siusan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot sing the praises of this book enough. This book would be helpful to a lot of children I know as well as adults. I like that it includes self-care as a topic. The explanation of what emotions look like physically is very important, it helps a child/young adult understand not just know what they’re feeling but what others are feeling as well. This is important later on in adult life, when you are in many different types of situations. Knowing and understanding what you and others are feeling and how to deal with those feelings is huge advantage. The illustrations are very cute and cartoony and work well with the language of the book. The examples of mindfulness exercises and how they are explained is dead on. They are easy to understand, not overwhelming for even younger children, and accessible to adults as well. Overall, I think this book is a great tool for anyone’s “how to deal with life” toolbox.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindful Me: Mindfulness and Meditation For Kids & Mindful Me Activity Book

This dynamic duo of mindfulness books for the mid-grade reader is the perfect gateway into understanding mindfulness and is just jam-packed with short & simple mindful activities, such as meditation, yoga, short self-focused quizzes and journaling to help the young discover the joys and benefits of mindfulness. The book, Mindful Me, is written in a really nice, kind voice as if a good friend is talking to you; it just makes sense for the the preteen mind. I also really appreciate the the book keeps adults (grown-up figures the youth can turn to) present and reminds the youth to reach out to these adults for help. I would also add that the book is great or teens and adults as well and could easily be incorporated into a yoga program or a classroom to bring up topics and activities to increase mindfulness. The accompanying activity book follows along , highlighting the activities in the book. I really love the little notebook feel and the graph paper background. It just begs to be filled in! The activities bolster creativity while bringing the focus to the present moment. I really enjoyed the thoughtful question & answer sections that are written with maturity for the growing mind but are light enough to not be overwhelming. This book-duo is an awesome addition to the mindfulness for kids book and fills a much needed niche for the preteen reader. I highly recommend them both-they would make a great gift!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thoroughly surprised at how helpful this book was. I know it's aimed towards children, but as an adult a lot of the techniques used helped. I suffer from anxiety, therefore I'm a huge supporter of visualization techniques. Teaching children how to calm their mind in anxious or tense moments is helpful toward allowing them to develop healthy coping skills.

They also stress the difference to know when you are in an unsafe situation that you no longer need to practice mindful techniques- you need an adult. I really appreciate this. Teaching children not to tolerate certain levels of aggression from peers is just as important as teaching them how to accept their emotions and reactions to certain situations.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. As a parent it provided me with a lot of useful tips to help my children through their rough patches. I highly recommend this book.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can this book be required reading...not just in school, but in life? Until you really understand what mindfulness is, you might not appreciate it- but let me tell you, this world would be a much nicer place if more humans were taught mindfulness from a young age. This book is so great, because it's easy to understand and offers up mindfulness practices to try that are geared towards children, and yet apply just as well to adults. Would be buying this for my brother if I didn't think it would freak my parents out too much (there are a few exercises that mention feeling a white light encompassing you).

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the author did a marvelous job introducing meditation & mindfulness to children. She presented emotions & what the physical signs of each emotion were. She gave different options for ways to be mindful & meditate & made sure the reader knew that everyone was different, so not each option would be the best for everyone. She always made sure the reader knew that if they did not feel safe for any reason, either physically or emotionally, they should find an adult they trusted & talk to them. I think I need to be more mindful & I thought that a children's book would present it in a straightforward way, without a lot of clutter. I think this book did the trick!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes kids’ lives can get busy and out of control, and worries can take over. When that happens, knowing how to pause and regain composure with mindfulness can help! This easily digestible guide introduces kids to mindfulness as a way to find clarity, manage stress, handle difficult emotions, and navigate personal challenges. With step-by-step instructions to over thirty breathing, relaxation, and guided meditation exercises, readers will have an entire toolkit at their disposal and writing prompts will help them process their discoveries. Clearly written and incredibly relatable, this invaluable resource provides a positive introduction to the world of self-care and mindfulness.

[Jenn Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a cute, little, useful book for middle grade kids. I agree with the review that kids won't read this cover to cover, and it might be more suited to a parent or teacher to go over some activities with it's intended audience. Although, there are some mature middle grade readers out there who might pick this up on their own and try the activities. Goodness knows our kids are overscheduled, overworked and overwhelmed these days. A little mindfulness may help.

[Reggie_Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING. Clear and concise. Perfect for beginners, young and old. While the examples and "assignments" are clearly for a younger reader, the advice and steps can be used by anyone. So many adult beginner books are wordy and try to go for length, Stewart sticks to the basics because of her audience. Short and sweet is sometimes best, and I hope that anyone who finds this book also finds some support from the techniques.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with ideas for kids, teens and adults alike. Read it to get ideas for my family yoga class.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a great book for any student. Teachers could use this book in the classroom. There are many ideas for students to try to calm themselves down, to reduce worry and to reduce worry.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for children (elementary age and up), adults and anyone who works with children. I'm a mindfulness instructor and will be using this book as a resource.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book would be good for adults as well. I like the simplicity of it and the many various "meditations". Many times meditation books written for adult audiences are too "complicated".

[Dewin Anguas Barnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up to see if it would help me with my daughter’s meditation practice. It wasn’t exactly suitable for my needs, but it is great for an older child who is just getting into mindfulness. It has great examples of real-life situations and some really good meditation visualizations that I myself will definitely use. It uses simple and clear language to describe difficult concepts. I loved the illustrations, too!

[Carolyn Jeziorski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to teach young people about how to be more mindful and reflective. There are many activities to do as well to build your skills (some might need explanation from an adult). I’m just wonder who is the intended audience? Its ideas seem like they would work well for teenagers, but the layout and illustrations make it seem like it’s for young girl. It’s a bit too cutesy—-I’m interested in knowing how students have reacted to it.

[Briana Hargett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an advanced reading copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I think this is a great book for teens and adults to work through the stress. It gives ideas and prompts on how to realize that yes we are all different but we all have needs. Definitely something everyone should read!

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindful Me is a fantastic resource for all students. This book would be especially helpful when I work with students with personal-social issues (anger management, anxiety, etc). I plan to use this text with my counseling small groups in the future. Additionally, I loved the mention of self-care. I want to recommend this book to other educators in the building for their own self-care.

[Kate Taelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of good mental health advice geared to tween/teens. It also had journal prompts and activities to do.

I think this book would be good done in a class or with a parent to facilitate the discussion.

*I was able to read/review an advanced copy through Netgalley

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read a few snippets from this book. It does look like it offers good advice. It is kind of basic, parents will have to help with things like dealing with heartache. It is a step in the right direction and will be one I recommend to parents asking about a subject like this.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical manual for a pre-teen or teenager explaining the basics of mindfulness. Readers will find several helpful tips such as creating a "Joy Box" and making a list of common distractions. The exercises included are easy to follow and practice. Overall, quite a soothing book.

[Jill CD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read but well worth the investment. A great choice for kids seeking calmness and inner peace. I loved the techniques and gentle way to get the point across that balance is important. Grades 3 and up.

[Wylaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reminders, even for adults.

[Diana Pettis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information in this book.

[thenik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this format, ordering a copy for our family bookshelf -- so my kids can access it when they wish.

[Chummy McKeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read, but it contains a lot of good mindfulness practices to help kids and adults learn coping skills and reacting to negative emotions like anxiety, stress and grief.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my tween and honestly learned a few things myself.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that teaches middle graders about mindfulness meditation. I've heard about mindfulness for a long time but never really understood exactly what it is. So I was trying to figure out what it is and whether there are any exercises useful in helping angry children calm down. Because the book is targeted at middle grades, the language is easy to read and the examples are easy to understand. There are illustrations here and there. The book provides many meditation activities that encourage imagination toward a magical, fantasy world, which really appealed to my daughter who loves to read fantasy stories. She also enjoyed the short, simple personality quizzes that occasionally popped up.

I think the language the book used to explain mindfulness is still a little confusing. It all sounds nice to hear, but when I actually put those explanation side by side with the activities they listed, they don't always match up. Based on the activities in the book, I understand mindfulness as a combination of three types of meditation: 1) Making your brain become super aware of how your behaves when you're breathing in and out. You need to be super focused and think of nothing but the breath. 2) Imagining and visualizing magical things like fire balls, colorful lights, or clouds, and linking these imageries to feelings you want to remove (e.g. imagine clouds that represent your different anxieties vanish in the sky) or increase (e.g. imagine you and everyone else in the world are engulfed by the light of kindness, or perseverance, or some other positive quality.) 3) Paying close attention to nature and how nature changes, and associating these changes with positive feelings, so as to help you not feel sad about changes in life.

I think the rationale behind 1) is to unplug your brain from whatever you're caught up with in the moment, because you're asked to totally stop thinking about anything else but your breath. It likely works very well. I have since asked both my kids, when they are stuck in a state of meltdown, or struggling over and over with the section of a piano piece, to take three mindfulness breaths. I think it will probably work just as well if you change the focus from "breath" to other things, as long as you are still really focused on that thing. For example, I understand Christians who meditate tend to focus on a short Scripture verse. I think 2) points to the fact, established by scientists and psychologists, that the human brain is more susceptible to what we choose to imagine than we think. In this case, I would want to imagine things that are close to God's truth in the spiritual realm. The value 3) is promoting resonate a lot with Buddhism. But I think the reason we get sad about things changing is because humans by nature seek eternity. It's what God has placed in our hearts. So I am leery of attempts to mold the brain to not feel bad about any type of change.

The book talks repeatedly about how when you unplug yourself from your thoughts and focus on your breath, you will gaze upon your "WISDOM MIND" (in all caps, LOL) and that WISDOM MIND will show you to think, feel, and behave wisely. I don't think unplugging has that much power, other than calming you down :P The Holy Spirit needs to move in the person, otherwise no one can help thinking, feeling or acting foolishly.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was great! It had a lot of good meditations, though as is in the book, it isn't going to let you become the most mindful person in the world in 10 seconds. It will take some time. But it has good exercises, and I REALLY do think it will likely help. I personally haven't technically done so, as I just recently finished it, but it was really good!

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A guide to mindfulness and meditation for children (ages 8-13).

A little gimmicky, but it does have some good exercises.

[Yani G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas for introducing meditation and relaxation to my very, very active grand-daughter (she's like a mini clone of her dad, my son). :D

[Gabby Palomino · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!
Provides wonderful tips and tricks that I use now in my 20's and wish I had known about when I was younger.
You might think you’re the only one with these challenges, but the truth is, everyone has hard times. As I get older, realizing this has helped me feel like I can get through things and to be grateful for the good in my life despite the bad.
Mindfulness is paying attention, on purpose, to what is happening around you and inside you at that very minute, without labeling it as good or bad. Another way to describe it is "present-moment awareness".
The book provides a tool-box full of strategies to feel a greater sense of well-being and experience less pain and distress. Awareness exercises, relaxation techniques, meditation, and journal prompts are some of the tools.
You cannot control situations, but you can control how you deal with them and how much you let them affect you.
I love that the author is telling their audience to not scold themselves if they forget to be mindful. “The past is over. You can only make changes in the present moment.”
Self-care is treating yourself well so that you can be a better person to your community.
People have different realities of the same experience.
Talking your negative thoughts out with someone you trust is a great way to keep them from pestering you (this works really well for me).
Includes a glossary and a cute certificate of completion!