Calm mindfulness for kids: Activities to help you learn to live in the moment by Wynne Kinder

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Dorling Kindersley, 2019. ISBN 9780241342299.
(Age: 8-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Mindfulness. Kindness. Emotional wellbeing. Wynne Kinder brings her comprehensive experience in mindfulness education and creating digital content for the brain breaks program GoNoodle to this Dorling Kindersley information book. Calm mindfulness for kids is beautifully presented with photographs of children engaged in calming and distressing activities. Presented in six chapters, educators and children can delve in to the sections - Focus, Calm, Move, Change, Care, and Reflect. They are guided through each chapter, through the distressing, learning calm breath, sensory experiences, caring for themselves and collaborating with others.
Mindfulness is a key tool which underpins classroom harmony, promotes positive energy and helps support children developing positive emotional health. There are colourful circles placed throughout to help grownups support and explain the activities. In 'Bubbles of kindness' there is an easy-to-follow exercise with the ingredients listed, bubble mix and twisted pipe-cleaners. Adults can help the child focus on sending kind bubble thoughts to their friends and those they find difficult to relate with.
'Reflecting is a way to turn an experience into wisdom.' By making a gratitude paper chain, siblings, families, classes and teams can write something they are grateful for on individual strips of coloured paper, then build a chain to decorate their home or classroom. A mindful body begins with eyes closed focussing on breathing and quietly stilling the body. Each activity boosts self-confidence and builds esteem. They are malleable enough to suit the individual child's flexibility and levels of understanding.
Calm mindfulness for kids is an excellent resource for teachers supporting students developing their personal and social capabilities. Kinder illustrates that promoting children's positive wellbeing can be achieved in short sessions, without expensive tools and is inclusive for all. For families, this is a wonderful tool to promote a well-grounded sense of self-knowledge and self-confidence, great for parents and children
Rhyllis Bignell

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