Mindfulness Exercises for Kids: 75 Easy Relaxation Techniques To Help Your Child Feel Better

Mindfulness is such a buzzword these days, and it has certainly come far from its Eastern roots. The 75 exercises or techniques in this book are not truly all about mindfulness or even relaxation. It's actually hard to distill down to one or two words what this book precisely offers. If you've read any adult-oriented mindfulness, gratitude, or meditation books, you'll find similar concepts and techniques in this book. It offers a variety of things to do, from self-help standards like meditation and purposeful breathing to more actionable techniques, like crafts and body awareness/movement. The author offers exercises for different concepts like anti-anxiety, concentration, emotional awareness, and observation. I wish the author were more consistent with how she presented the ideas. The craft ideas list the things you need and what to do. For meditations and other concepts for the child to ponder, the author provides a script to read. Most sections have paragraphs or pages for the adult to read as well as the scripts to read to the kids. Not all scripts were clearly marked. Unfortunately, many scripts didn't really seem like a parent or loved one talking to the child. The words were often stilted or seemed to talk “at” the child instead of “to” the child. Kids don't like that! Also, I thought some exercises seemed like they were spoken as if from a teacher to a child, not from a parent or caregiver. Some exercises and techniques would be good for the entire family to practice, whether together or apart. If you’d like to work with the concepts mentioned with your child or children, so long as you read ahead and understand what the exercises are about and meant to do, you and your family might find this book helpful and perhaps even fun. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

I'm the father of 2 boys in this pandemic, I have been very worried about assessing their mental state and making sure they have the right tools to deal with it. This book gave me a different outlook - practice to the tools to deal with mindfulness all the time so that you have them when you need them. Or, as I like to say, if you stay ready you don't have to get ready. There are plenty of exercises to choose from in this book. We won't do all of them with our kids, but we will consistently practice some of them. And, as adults, many of these exercises are useful too. There is bound to be at least a handful of techniques that will work with your child's temperament. I also like that this book starts with data about the importance of mindfulness and how it improves child behavior. I love data and evidence-based practices. I don't want a dissertation on it, but some data is good. I only wish I had started with techniques like these when my kids were younger. But it's never too late.

This book achieves a certain perfection. It is simply and very well-written and in the most helpful, enthusiastic and optimistic tone. The key theme of psychological health/mindfulness pervades these exercises: learning to pause. I find in my private practice of psychotherapy with adults throughout my career that this well-rehearsed ability to pause inside your mind is the very essence of psychological, behavioral health and a feeling of well-being. We each have a limbic system (fight/flight mechanism) that we humans have not kept in check very well throughout our human history. Our job as individuals and as members of societies is to learn to hold this fight/flight system in check when it’s not appropriate for situations we’re in. Enhancing the pausing powers of consciousness is the way to achieve this control of the primitive part of our brain which, unchecked, has caused so much havoc through history, from mental and emotional illness to war. Instituting these wonderful exercises at a young age in the population would be dramatic for individuals living their complex lives and for society. Excellent book!

For parents with children who are stressed out or have problems conveying their emotions or empathizing with other children, this could be a helpful book. The author lays out a series of exercises (drawing faces -happy or mad, journal or note-keeping, role-playing charades, different ways of breathing), anger-busting meditations and thought-provoking techniques that can help to drastically reduce aggression in children. The exercises may also help your child have better concentration for school work and play. It’s easy to read, well laid out, with step by step instructions that anyone can follow. Easy to recommend.

As a teacher and a mother to five sons, I think this book is a wonderful resource for children and parents. The games, arts/craft activities, meditations, visualizations, and breath work are perfect for kids who need help managing stress or anxiety, or for those who simply want to relax. I love the detail to attention the author provided with yoga exercises and craft ideas--the layout and design of this book is excellent, too. I've done several activities with my youngest son, and look forward to doing more. I highly recommend this book for parents who want to teach mindfulness to their children.

I downloaded this as an ebook and think I will probably buy the hard copy since I like it so much. I've perused various books on mindfulness for kids and this is my favorite so far. The book is filled with guided exercises that an adult could use for their kids or a group of kids (I can't wait to use this with my Scout troop)! It's clear that the author is well trained/experienced in working with kids in this capacity as the guided exercises paint such effective and vivid imagery in one's mind as you read through each one. Bravo to this book - highly recommended!

This book contains a large collection of mindfulness exercises that can be used with children. The number of different ideas provide a lot of variety and help avoid too much repetition. The different exercises are well thought out with excellent instructions on how to execute them. Studies continue to support mindfulness as a useful technique to promote positive attitude, self-awareness, self-control, and stress relief. Using exercises from this book will not only provide those benefits, but should also help provide some stability during our current situation. Highly recommended.

A great resource for anyone working with anxious kids. The exercises are simple and can be used at home as well as in school, both for mainstream and for special needs education, which is important from my point of view. A great addition to my school's wellbeing reference library. I look forward to doing these exercises with groups of my kids. Highly recommend!

The world needs more books like this. Excellent book for parents and teachers. Mindfulness is sort of a buzz word now, but for good reason. Learning to be in-the-moment and in-control of your emotions is a skill we should all be working on, especially children. This makes it fun and engaging for kids, and not a "calm down!" sort of way. I liked the Best Day Ever Contemplation Script - it puts you in the right frame of mind. Congrats to the author for an excellent book.

A great activity book for kids. My kids have been anxious for a long time, since the pandemic has started and that book would be a great help. I also like that there are various activities for other aspects like concentration, affirmation, etc. I didn't finish the book yet, but I can clearly see it's a great one, and that it was written by an expert in the field. I definitely recommend it! I received a free copy in return for an honest review.

Mindfulness is such a buzzword these days, and it has certainly come far from its Eastern roots. The 75 exercises or techniques in this book are not truly all about mindfulness or even relaxation. It's actually hard to distill down to one or two words what this book precisely offers. If you've read any adult-oriented mindfulness, gratitude, or meditation books, you'll find similar concepts and techniques in this book. It offers a variety of things to do, from self-help standards like meditation and purposeful breathing to more actionable techniques, like crafts and body awareness/movement. The author offers exercises for different concepts like anti-anxiety, concentration, emotional awareness, and observation. I wish the author were more consistent with how she presented the ideas. The craft ideas list the things you need and what to do. For meditations and other concepts for the child to ponder, the author provides a script to read. Most sections have paragraphs or pages for the adult to read as well as the scripts to read to the kids. Not all scripts were clearly marked. Unfortunately, many scripts didn't really seem like a parent or loved one talking to the child. The words were often stilted or seemed to talk “at” the child instead of “to” the child. Kids don't like that! Also, I thought some exercises seemed like they were spoken as if from a teacher to a child, not from a parent or caregiver. Some exercises and techniques would be good for the entire family to practice, whether together or apart. If you’d like to work with the concepts mentioned with your child or children, so long as you read ahead and understand what the exercises are about and meant to do, you and your family might find this book helpful and perhaps even fun. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

I'm the father of 2 boys in this pandemic, I have been very worried about assessing their mental state and making sure they have the right tools to deal with it. This book gave me a different outlook - practice to the tools to deal with mindfulness all the time so that you have them when you need them. Or, as I like to say, if you stay ready you don't have to get ready. There are plenty of exercises to choose from in this book. We won't do all of them with our kids, but we will consistently practice some of them. And, as adults, many of these exercises are useful too. There is bound to be at least a handful of techniques that will work with your child's temperament. I also like that this book starts with data about the importance of mindfulness and how it improves child behavior. I love data and evidence-based practices. I don't want a dissertation on it, but some data is good. I only wish I had started with techniques like these when my kids were younger. But it's never too late.

This book achieves a certain perfection. It is simply and very well-written and in the most helpful, enthusiastic and optimistic tone. The key theme of psychological health/mindfulness pervades these exercises: learning to pause. I find in my private practice of psychotherapy with adults throughout my career that this well-rehearsed ability to pause inside your mind is the very essence of psychological, behavioral health and a feeling of well-being. We each have a limbic system (fight/flight mechanism) that we humans have not kept in check very well throughout our human history. Our job as individuals and as members of societies is to learn to hold this fight/flight system in check when it’s not appropriate for situations we’re in. Enhancing the pausing powers of consciousness is the way to achieve this control of the primitive part of our brain which, unchecked, has caused so much havoc through history, from mental and emotional illness to war. Instituting these wonderful exercises at a young age in the population would be dramatic for individuals living their complex lives and for society. Excellent book!

For parents with children who are stressed out or have problems conveying their emotions or empathizing with other children, this could be a helpful book. The author lays out a series of exercises (drawing faces -happy or mad, journal or note-keeping, role-playing charades, different ways of breathing), anger-busting meditations and thought-provoking techniques that can help to drastically reduce aggression in children. The exercises may also help your child have better concentration for school work and play. It’s easy to read, well laid out, with step by step instructions that anyone can follow. Easy to recommend.

As a teacher and a mother to five sons, I think this book is a wonderful resource for children and parents. The games, arts/craft activities, meditations, visualizations, and breath work are perfect for kids who need help managing stress or anxiety, or for those who simply want to relax. I love the detail to attention the author provided with yoga exercises and craft ideas--the layout and design of this book is excellent, too. I've done several activities with my youngest son, and look forward to doing more. I highly recommend this book for parents who want to teach mindfulness to their children.

I downloaded this as an ebook and think I will probably buy the hard copy since I like it so much. I've perused various books on mindfulness for kids and this is my favorite so far. The book is filled with guided exercises that an adult could use for their kids or a group of kids (I can't wait to use this with my Scout troop)! It's clear that the author is well trained/experienced in working with kids in this capacity as the guided exercises paint such effective and vivid imagery in one's mind as you read through each one. Bravo to this book - highly recommended!

This book contains a large collection of mindfulness exercises that can be used with children. The number of different ideas provide a lot of variety and help avoid too much repetition. The different exercises are well thought out with excellent instructions on how to execute them. Studies continue to support mindfulness as a useful technique to promote positive attitude, self-awareness, self-control, and stress relief. Using exercises from this book will not only provide those benefits, but should also help provide some stability during our current situation. Highly recommended.

A great resource for anyone working with anxious kids. The exercises are simple and can be used at home as well as in school, both for mainstream and for special needs education, which is important from my point of view. A great addition to my school's wellbeing reference library. I look forward to doing these exercises with groups of my kids. Highly recommend!

The world needs more books like this. Excellent book for parents and teachers. Mindfulness is sort of a buzz word now, but for good reason. Learning to be in-the-moment and in-control of your emotions is a skill we should all be working on, especially children. This makes it fun and engaging for kids, and not a "calm down!" sort of way. I liked the Best Day Ever Contemplation Script - it puts you in the right frame of mind. Congrats to the author for an excellent book.

A great activity book for kids. My kids have been anxious for a long time, since the pandemic has started and that book would be a great help. I also like that there are various activities for other aspects like concentration, affirmation, etc. I didn't finish the book yet, but I can clearly see it's a great one, and that it was written by an expert in the field. I definitely recommend it! I received a free copy in return for an honest review.

Mindfulness is a relatively mature and abstract concept. This book does an excellent job of offering a wide range of activities to share with children. I love that there are so many options so you can find multiple activities to play and teach, finding ones that are best received, while keeping the activities "fresh". Great skills for any child, for developing partnership time between child and adult, or supporting anxiety. Thanks for this book!

This is such a wonderful book! My daughter sometimes has trouble calming herself down if she feels stressed, and this book is a perfect way for her to learn how to deal with strong emotions in a positive and calm way. I love how this book includes a variety of activities, including meditation, visualization, breath control, yoga, games, and crafts. We’ll definitely be doing these activities regularly so she can remember how to self-soothe and regulate her emotions and mindfulness if she ever gets angry or stressed about anything.

This book had some great easy techniques to introduce children to mindfulness. There were many different ideas to choose from to focus on what each child might need depending on age and personality. I like that some where simple breathing exercises, while others involved crafts and imagination. During times like this it’s a great book to have on hand to calm children and remind us all to sink into the moment.

Kids have it rough in the digital age. So many stressors around that their parents and grandparents didn't deal with as often. This book is filled with helpful exercises designed to teach children healthy coping skills for stress and anxiety. Emotional health is just as important as physical and mental health. This book offers some guideposts for building strong emotional health. A valuable resource.

Beautifully executed book that every parent, educator, or caretaker should read! Children can benefit greatly from mindfulness strategies. And many exercises listed in this book are an excellent substitute for blind discipline, which simply punishes the child rather than teaching them how to manage difficult emotions. I will absolutely be recommending this book to other parents and colleagues! Well done!

This book leads parents and children through a ton of mindful activities. What I like best is how in-depth the explanations are, along with how/why the exercises are beneficial. Children are experiencing drastic changes in their lifestyles now due to the coronavirus pandemic, so this book is timely and helpful right now. Looking forward to continuing these exercises with my toddler.

What wonderful ideas for helping kids calm themselves. My son gets super anxious sometimes and doesn't know what to do with himself. So I was extremely interested to see what this book had to offer. The suggestions in chapter 3 worked wonders. My son liked the simple counting exercise the best. I highly recommend this book for parents/caretakers of anxious kids.

As a mother of four boys, I think this book is a great resource for parents and children. There is a vast variety of activities, arts, crafts, meditations, and practices that are super beneficial for children and adults. Very thorough and easy-to-understand directions. Tried a couple of the crafts with my older kids and they really enjoyed it. Splendid book!

Mindfulness Exercise for Kids is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers to help kids be more mindful, more compassionate, and less stressed. I especially like how the author presents so many different exercises and activities. The reader is bound to find those that would work best for the child or the situation. A versatile and helpful resource.

Loved this! What's great about it is that many of the exercise could be adapted to high school kids (emotional charades, and several others). The book is broken down into chapters with different goals, making mindfulness more appealing to kids/adults with a specific goal in mind (concentration, anti-anxiety, etc.). A great resource!

I wold recommend this book - especially in the long days of say-at-home. It's filled with activities that are great for kids AND adults (who can lead the activities by reading the steps out loud). It's perfect for teaching grounding and awareness of self/body/emotions. I think it's very well done.

I'm using this in my classroom! I love the idea if children practicing mindfulness. I love that people are realizing that mindfulness is a necessary life skill. The activities in this book are fun and will give kids a chance to reflect on past life experiences and future development.

I loved all the tips in this book!! With all the changes in society & the world these tips will be useful for a long time. I have used some of the exercises with my son after a long day at school. He was relaxed & ready to take on the next day.

I loved what the author did to make this come alive for kids. The exercises in this book are imaginative and fun and will help children physically see while they feel the results in their bodies. If you have kids, you'll want to read this.

This is a great resource book for teaching children calmness and even helping yourself to learn calming techniques. I love the way it is written and the advice it gives. I plan on keeping this to use with my granddaughter.

In times like these, children need comfort and the ability to find solace in this book is book is amazing. Self-esteem is so important and this book will assist in getting a child there. Thank you for this awesome book.

This book is an amazing tool for parents and teachers, or anyone spending time with children. In addition to the exercises, I like how the research and explanation of the benefits of mindfulness are included in the book.

This book provides exercises for kids to help deal with stress. By learning the exercises while young, children will hopefully be prepared with techniques to deal with stress as they grow up and become adults.

We all need mindfulness exercises for our children- now more than ever with this pandemic. A lot of great activities here that I'm excited to try with my little one..

Look it’s been a weird year, 🙂 and mindfulness exercises that involve arts and crafts, and emotional awareness, are exactly what’s needed. I enjoyed this, thank you.

I love all the ideas and activities presented in this book. Such a helpful collection. I can’t wait to use them on my children when they’re old enough. Recommend!

Good organization, backed by research, and a good assortment of exercises for kids. Great option to use together with your kids!

This is a great resource for kids who are feeling anxious or need to guided to grounding themselves in a more positive outlook.

Thought this would be good for my kiddo. This would get good for older kids.

This book is such a gem for anyone with young kids, especially now during this time of pandemic-forced homeschooling. Highly Recommended!

This was a great book for me and my wife to help our kids take mental breaks from outbursts and stressors and learn to work at re-centering themselves. Recommended for parents looking at ways to help their children cope and learn to harness their inner potential.

This book is full of exercises that address emotion, tension, concentration and more.

excellent and amazing work done. Good job author, would highly recommend