We are so excited to have Gaylene Wilson join us today to share information about Mindfulness Picture Books!
Gaylene Wilson has a B.S. in community health education, with a minor in journalism. After working in genetic research and then as a journalist for a local newspaper, she found her niche in children’s literature and has been studying and writing kidlit for nearly twenty years. She loves writing suspenseful YA, as well as humorous middle grade and quirky picture book manuscripts. Gaylene has recently taken up illustration, and is currently designing several middle grade book covers while working on a few picture books.
We all deal with occasional stormy thoughts that toss us around like tiny boats in the ocean, making us feel alone or worried. It can be overwhelming enough as adults, but when kids deal with stormy feelings, it can cause anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues.
Finding inner peace is one of the most popular themes of mindfulness picture books. Reading these stories and practicing the ideas together can be a wonderful way to teach kids how to manage emotions, be fully present in a moment, and look at themselves and the world around them with curiosity instead of fear.
In the gorgeous picture book, Alphabreaths, Authors Christopher Willard and Daniel Rechtschaffen offer children breathing techniques that can help them be more aware of what is happening inside and outside of their bodies. Focusing on playful ways to inhale and exhale is a simple and fun way to introduce kids to mindfulness.
I adore Susan Verde’s beautiful book, I Am Peace. In brief, flowing words, she shows kids how they can ground themselves when they feel the waves of life are about to sink their little boats. My favorite line is, “I can hug a tree and thank it for its beauty and strength.” Connecting to the physical world can help children feel love and appreciation for nature and other people, which encourages them to view problems and situations in new ways.
Kira Willey’s picture book, Breathe like a Bear, offers thirty concrete things kids can do to learn how to be more mindful. A few of her ideas include things like listening to noises around them, stretching or clapping to release energy, and making a positive goal for something simple, like being more thankful for a day. These tools can help kids feel more confident as they navigate their turbulent feelings or thoughts.
Not all mindfulness picture books are written by therapists and doctors. Many of them are written by people who think about the skills they wish they had when they were younger, and how they could have managed the stressful parts of childhood in a healthier way.
Becoming more mindful has been important to me over the past decade, and I have fallen in love with these books. If we read and practice the simple little techniques with our kids, we can show them how to find a safe harbor in their minds and hearts, so they can find a calm place to park their little boats and wait out the storm.