Image by Hans Kretzmann from Pixabay
I do not envy being a child during these stressful times. I used to think how cool it would have been to have things like the internet, Spotify, streaming movies, Apple Watch, ipads and self-driving cars when I was a kid. All of this seems like something out of the Jetsons cartoon, which I used to watch all the time and dream about flying cars and talking robots. Now that is a reality (except flying cars).
Sadly, over the past couple of years, the idea of growing up in this day and age seems less desirable. COVID, civil unrest, war, gun violence… it’s overwhelming for adults, let alone children who cannot fully understand and process all of the information being thrown their way.
I don’t envy being a child in today’s world… I’m sad for them.
There are ways you can help children deal with the external stresses, so that it doesn’t manifest into internal issues (stomach aches, headaches, fatigue…).
Here are some ways you can help children.
Limit their screen time, especially to news channels.
Talk and listen to your child about the current events.
Validate their feelings. Don’t dismiss anything they say, even if YOU think its trivial.
Seek professional help if you feel like your child is having a difficult time coping. Do not wait thinking they’ll just “get over it.” They may never “get over it” without appropriate intervention.
There are a couple of books I was recently sent to review that could also help your child learn mindfulness, breathing, and Yoga.
People might think Yoga is silly, or just a form of exercise. Yoga can actually be very beneficial, not just to your physical well being, but also your mental well being.
Rocket Ship Yoga: An Out-of-This-World Kids Yoga Journey for Breathing, Relaxing and Mindfulness from Bari Koral, Bari Koral is a best selling children’s music artist.
Featuring an engaging new kids yoga adventure set in outer space, Rocket Ship Yoga has great new mindfulness activities that can help calm kids anytime, anywhere. It also includes a beautiful yoga pose glossary to show you more about teaching yoga to children. Suggested age range is Pre-K-3rd grade and includes easy info to up level for your older children. Based on a music video she created a few years ago, Rocket Ship Yoga is the culmination of Bari’s 12 years of experience teaching kids yoga, music and movement. It’s exciting, colorful, and beautifully paced so kids (and their adults) LOVE it!
This book is geared towards children 4-8 years old, however, I work with children from 5-12 years old and I honestly think that all of my “work kids” would enjoy trying out these fun yoga poses, even if they find the space adventure a little too “juvenile” for them.
This is an excellent book to introduce children to simple yoga positions. Each position is fully explained and their is accompanying text that goes along with the story. So it’s part story, part book about yoga.
The back of the book is for parents and caregivers. It provides more details about the various positions, and what type of benefits they offer.
The book also teaches children about breathing and quiet listening to help them wind down and relax.
This book would be great to read at bed time, or when I child comes home from school and needs to unwind and destress.
The illustrations in this book are lovely and really bring the story to life.
Another wonderful book that I was also sent to review is geared more towards babies and toddlers (honestly, older children can learn from this book as well) called The ABC’s of Calm. It’s written by Brooke Backsen, an occupational therapist and yoga instructor.
The ABCs of Calm is a delightful ABC board book that teaches children important social emotional skills to quiet anxiety and find their inner calm. With simple tips and techniques, this book will help us to teach our kids mindfulness and improve their mental health.
This is an adorable board book. The illustrations are so cute.
Each page of this book features a letter and what that letter represents. For example, “B” is for breath, “N” is for nature, “P” is for positivity and so on.
Some of the words in the book might be too “big” for a little one to grasp (such as positivity, affirmation, grateful, mindful), but that is okay because there is a very brief description of what the word means so a little one can better understand. For example, “M” is for mindful. I’m present and aware.
The story is done like a poem, which really resonate with young children. It’s also an easy reader, so children who are learning to read, or have just started to read, could read this book on their own.
Both of these books are wonderful, and I plan on incorporating them at work when the new school year rolls around. I don’t want to try anything new right now because all my “work kids” are overflowing with energy and excitement for the end of the school year.
Rocket Ship Yoga is available for purchase now, where ever books are sold. ABC’s of Calm will be available for purchase starting July 5, 2022.
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
Kimberly
*I received sample copies of these books in order to do a review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own (unless otherwise noted) and not influenced in any way.
