As summer winds down, many families are taking one last opportunity to rest and restore themselves before the fall rush. If you need a reason to encourage your kid to take it easy, August 15 marks National Relaxation Day.
According to the website, “National Relaxation Day advocates chilling out and promotes stress relief through meditation and other relaxation techniques. Managing stress requires relaxation, which leads to a clearer and calmer mind.”
Relaxation means different things to different people. Magination Press has books that explore different approaches to relaxation including yoga, mindfulness, and meditation.
Bee Still: An Invitation to Meditation by Frank J. Sileo, PhD
Bentley is a lovable, calm honeybee.
When the queen tells the bees to get busy, it sends them scrambling into a tizzy.
But not Bentley. He chooses to be patient and wait. He decides to look for a place to meditate.
Bee Still is a child-friendly introduction to meditation. Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers with more ideas for introducing meditation into your child’s life
“Through this engaging introduction to the benefits of practicing meditation, children and adults will learn how to focus emotions and relieve stress and anxiety…” —Foreword Reviews
Relaxations: Big Tools for Little Warriors by Mamen Duch
This book uses gentle affirmations to improve and enhance confidence, self-esteem, concentration, and creativity.
“So many kids are dealing with stress in many ways and it manifests itself in ways you may not expect. This book explores some of the basic concepts of relaxation and how you and your kids can find more ways to relax…. The visualization and breathing exercises were great and really allowed you to find an inner-calm within yourself. This is a great book that I highly recommend!” —Dad of Divas
A World of Pausabilities: An Exercise in Mindfulness by Frank J. Sileo, PhD
Told in rhyming verse and beautifully illustrated, A World of Pausabilities is an inviting introduction to mindfulness.
Following a neighborhood on a summer day, readers will learn how to apply mindfulness to simple, everyday moments, and how days are filled with endless possibilities to take a pause.
Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers that further discusses mindfulness and ways to introduce pauses into your child’s life.
King Calm: Mindful Gorilla in the City by Susan D. Sweet, PhD, and Brenda S. Miles, PhD
Marvin isn’t like other gorillas. He doesn’t stomp his feet and he never ever pounds his chest with a thump thump roar.
Marvin is mindful. He’s focused. He’s calm…and he’s about to teach his grandpa to be a king of calm, too!
Includes a Reader’s Note loaded with information about living mindfully and ways to become more calm, focused, and tuned in to the Great Big World around you.
“King Calm is a wonderful gateway for teaching mindfulness to children. The narrative manages to give explicit instructions on being mindful without being pedantic or dull.” —Seattle Book Review
Fantastic You by Danielle Dufayet
There’s one special person that kids get to spend their whole life with: THEMSELVES!! Which means there’s no one they should take better care of!
When kids cheer themselves on they make the world a happier place. Life is amazing when kids share it with the people they love: family, friends, and always with YOU!
Fantastic You shows readers how to develop and nurture a loving and positive relationship with themselves. Kids will learn that self-care includes positive self-talk and self-compassion for a happy, self-empowered life.
As Babies Dream by Lesléa Newman
★ ““Lush illustrations and lulling, playful verse create a warm and wonderful bedtime hug.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
This sweet, rhyming bedtime lullaby is a calming ode to nature as a loving family embraces their child as night falls and dream time begins. From rivers to eagles, to lions and lambs, to leaves and rain, and to stars and the moon, the soothing sounds of the world become the inspiration for a loving night of restful sleep for a weary baby. This book shares the spirit of shared community and the common values of love and hope.
Award-winning and beloved author Lesléa Newman crafts a sweet tale that all families with a young one can appreciate.
