We all struggle with stress in our lives. From the pressures of school or work, to battling our fears and worries, we all need help managing our stress. For kids, it can be difficult to understand what they are feeling, and they need our help learning how to cope. This list of mindfulness books uses different methods for teaching kids to cope with stress, and encourages them to use mindfulness to keep their emotions under control.

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Ruby Finds a Worry*

Written and illustrated by Tom Percival

Ruby is a young girl who is perfectly happy, until the day that she finds a Worry (illustrated as a bright scribble with a face). She doesn’t really notice it at first, but slowly, it starts to grow. The Worry continues to follow her wherever she goes, until it becomes so big that it takes over her life. One day, she sees another little boy with his own worry, and they decide to talk about what is bothering them. As they talk, their worries start to shrink, and soon they are gone.

The story holds an important lesson for little ones who are trying to manage their worries on their own. The reminder that everyone has worries can be especially comforting, as well as the reminder that talking about their worries can lessen their stress load. The illustrations add to the story, starting out with bright colors, and slowly fading to black and white as Ruby’s worry takes over her life.

Leyla*

Written and illustrated by Galia Bernstein

Leyla is a baboon who has a BIG family. They are all very noisy, and they always want to kiss and hug her. One day, all the noise and fuss gets to be too much for little Leyla, so she decides to run. She runs and runs and hurts her foot, but eventually she comes upon a little lizard. The lizard teaches her about the art of doing nothing, and Leyla finds some peace in the quiet. She starts to miss her family, so she races back to them to tell them of her adventures. When she gets there, she gladly accepts the kisses on her injured foot. This is a great introduction to the idea of meditation as a way to block out the overwhelming noise that can sometimes fill our days, and kids will love the adorable baboon family.

Harriet’s Monster Diary: Awfully Anxious*

Written by Dr. Raun Memed with S.E. Abramson and illustrated by Arief Kriembonga

This book is part of a series called the ST4 Mindfulness Books for kids. Harriet is a sweet monster who is completely terrified about giving a report in front of her whole class. She spends the whole week getting more and more nervous, until her stomach starts to hurt and she starts crying when her friends ask her about it. Her monster friends are able to introduce her to the ST4 tools for dealing with stressful situations. They walk her through the steps, leading her to create her own mindfulness tool to help her. The book is written in diary entries by Harriet, with lots of adorable illustrations spread throughout. The back of the book includes information from the author on his ST4 methods and resources for kids to use them in their own lives.

Related Post: 18 Mindfulness Books for Kids

Marvin’s Monster Diary 2: ADHD Emotion Explosion*

Written by Dr. Raun Melmed with Caroline Bliss Larsen and illustrated by Arief Kriembonga

This book is another addition to the ST4 Mindfulness series for kids. Marvin is a monster who learned to use the ST4 tools for stressful situations in his life. But now he is trying to work on a science project with his partner Lyssa, and her emotions are out of control. After a bit of self-reflection, Marvin discovers that he can teach Lyssa about the ST4 tools to help her get her angry outbursts under control. They are able to work together to handle their emotions AND come up with a great project for the science fair. The back of the book is full of important resources for parents who want to help their kids learn the ST4 tools as well.

Listen*

Written by Holly M. McGhee and illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre

This lyrical book uses poetic text and beautiful illustrations to introduce the reader to the idea that we are all connected. The reader is encouraged to listen, look, breathe, and experience the beauty around them, and feel how it connects us all to the natural world and to each other. The combination of the soothing text and illustrations makes this a great book for calming stressful emotions. The book also reminds us to focus on the beauty all around us.

Related Post: 5 Children’s Books for a Bad Day

ABC Mindful Me

Written and illustrated by Christiane Engel

This twist on the alphabet attributes each letter to a word related to mindfulness. Each page focuses on a different word associated with being mindful, with simple tips for applying that concept to your life. The illustrations show a diverse group of children and adults utilizing the concepts through familiar actions. These make it very easy for kids to apply mindfulness during stressful situations. The end of the book includes a more in depth description of mindfulness and the benefits of being more mindful in your life.

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Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day*

Written by Jennie Marie Battistin MA, LMFT

This handy guide introduces the reader to the definition and benefits of mindfulness, as well as easy activities and strategies for practicing mindfulness in your everyday life. The introduction walks the reader through a few breathing techniques that are then used in the exercises throughout the book. There are sections for mindfulness in the morning, afternoon and evening, as well as activities for Calming, Focusing, Reconnecting, and Responding. Each exercise lists the estimated time to read, as well as the time to complete it. While the book is aimed at teens, these activities could easily be used by the whole family.

What are your favorite mindfulness books for kids? How do you teach kids to cope with stress?

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