Mom reading to her little girl

Week of the Young Child: Books to Share

Celebrate little kids! April 2-8 is the Week of the Young Child.  The Week of the Young Child®  was established in 1971 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It recognizes that the early childhood years, from birth through age 8, lay the foundation for children's success in school and later life.  The purpose of the Week of the Young Child® is to focus public attention on the needs of young children, ages birth to 8,  and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. 1  Magination Press has published a number of books specifically for young children. Here are some of our series that explore developmental stages, experiences, and emotions from the young child's world. Share them with your young child! Big Little Talks Series The Big Little Talks books are fun stories to ease both parents and children through typical and common life stages using empathic listening and encouraging an understanding of age-appropriate behavior and emotions. Feel Better Books Series This acclaimed series of books for kids ages 4-8 that explores young children's common feelings and experiences. Written in light, rhyming verse, The Feel Better Books identify emotions or challenging situations and provide kid-friendly coping strategies. Get Ready Board Books Series   This series of cleverly wordless board books with bright illustrations will delight little ones and their parents and provides an endless opportunity to engage toddlers in their own storytelling and interpretation of what they see in the book. Super cute and appealing, little kids will see themselves in the stories as the books capture a family's experience. Once Upon a Garden Series “The series is perfect for young children who are working with issues of shyness, self-acceptance, and courage, and discovering new talents, skills and hard work. There is simplicity in the text and the illustrations are happy and bright and compliment the emotions and themes in each book. This series is sure to boost the self-confidence of children.”  —Children’s Books Heal Terrific Toddlers Series Written with simple language and reflective of children's realities, the Terrific Toddlers series is based on understanding of the developmental level of young toddlers. Books for Nourishing Friendships Series “Children will relate to strong and memorable characters that jump off the pages, identify with their friendship problems and learn some new strategies for coping. The characters deal with their own issues and do their own problem solving in all three stories — no adults involved...This series will be a winning one with children.” —Children's Books Heal Check out other books feelings, family, and friendship to read with your young child.

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Week of the Young Child: Books to Share 2022-04-06T17:05:12-04:00

Late Summer Relaxation

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

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Late Summer Relaxation 2021-08-11T12:45:49-04:00

Breathing as a Means to Mindfulness

One way to practice being mindful is to focus on breathing, and understand the role it plays in helping us feel calm, relaxed, and focused. In the Magination Press Family bookstore, you’ll find an assortment of kid-friendly, APA-approved books that explore breathing exercises you can try with your child, such as Breathe by Inês Castel-Branco, which uses illustrated exercises to help children become aware of their breath and their bodies.

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Have a Calm Summer: Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids

Celebrate International Yoga Day with Bentley Bee. He'll be practicing all his favorite poses from Bee Calm: The Buzz on Yoga by Frank J. Sileo, PhD. And International Yoga Day is just the start. Bee Calm and other Magination Press books about calming strategies and meditation can help your child have a soothing summer.  Bee Calm: The Buzz On Yoga by Frank J. Sileo, PhD Bentley Bee sees his friends doing some funny positions in the garden. It's yoga! His friends teach him how to do several of the poses in this kid-friendly introduction to yoga. “This sweet book introduces yoga to children in a loving and engaging way. With friendly characters, beautiful illustrations, and a gentle rhyming cadence, it’s a joy to read, easy to practice to, and quickly becoming a favorite with our 2- and 6-year-old daughters.” —Jennifer Cohen Harper, Founder of Little Flower Yoga, Author, and Mother Check out Bentley Bee’s other books, Bee Still: An Invitation To Meditation, and Bee Heartful: Spread Loving-Kindness. Mindful Bea And The Worry Tree by Gail Silver Bea is anxiously waiting for her friends to show up for her birthday party. When the worries start to grow around her like tree branches, she uses breathing exercises and visualization techniques to calm herself down. “Children who struggle with anxiety will be able to relate to Bea and find some of the strategies helpful. It can help a child realize they are not alone and that others have the same worrying thoughts.” —Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center Relaxations: Big Tools For Little Warriors by Mamen Duch This book uses gentle affirmations to improve and enhance confidence, self-esteem, concentration, and creativity. Breathe by Inês Castel-Branco Breathe is a conversation between a boy and his mother at bedtime. But this conversation can happen at any time, in any place. This introduction to mindfulness presents a collection of illustrated exercises to help little ones become aware of their breath and their body. “With practice, the child discovers how these tools can rob fear and sadness of their power to keep us awake at night. This book speaks to children with the confidence that they can understand how and why attention to our breath is so powerful.” —Mindful A World Of Pausabilities: An Exercise In Mindfulness by Frank J. Sileo, PhD 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. “Sileo invites readers to explore the potential in "pausabilities"…he offers a wealth of ideas for how children and families can stay engaged in the present.” —Publishers Weekly Check out even more books for kids about mindfulness.

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Have a Calm Summer: Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids 2021-06-21T15:14:03-04:00
Illustration sloth playing guitar and a sleeping rabbit