Two of my all time favorite books, Peaceful Piggy Meditation
and Moody Cow Meditates, helps children to decompress and ground themselves.I bought both of these books when my oldest son was in second grade and needed to learn how to calm down and focus. He was behaving oddly at school and overall seemed to be overwhelmed.
Peaceful Piggy Meditation is focused on creating a special place in the home for meditation. A few suggestions to create a spot of relaxation in your home include:
- a small cushion to sit on
- a smooth stone to rub
- soft music to drift away to
- etc.
The book also includes a description of how children can meditate, as well as, directions on how to create a Mind-in-a-Jar Experiment.
I could go into detail on the experiment, but I wouldn't be able to do it justice. It is such a simple thing that truly demonstrates a peaceful, yet active mind.
Moody Cow Meditates was a must have in our family. All my boys (husband included) tend to get angry a bit easier than most. Nothing terrible, but it often leaves them in a funk.
Moody Cow Meditates goes through the day of Moody Cow as he experiences several unsettling things. After all, who wouldn't be upset by bad dreams and wrecking your bike? I know, I sure would.
Anyways... when Moody Cow returns home, he is visited by his wise grandfather. His grandfather creates a Moody Cow Mind Jar to help the little cow to calm and refocus his day.
The directions for creating the jar are in the back of the book. Basically, you drop colored sparkles into the water... one pinch for each angry thought you had during the day. You watch the water quietly until all the sparkles have settled calmly to the bottom. By the time, the last sparkle falls the angry feelings will have vanished or at least subsided a bit.
The concept is again very simple, but works its magic on the mind of children both young and old.
The next time your child is experiencing soul fever or just having a difficult day consider one of these awesome children's books as a source of guidance. Your child might just smile again before bedtime.
What are some of your favorite go to books for children?
What books help your child work through a personal dilemma big or small?
oh I think we're going to look for the moody cow book, sounds great. With your experience of early years, do you think this would work with ADHD?
ReplyDeleteI think it would definitely give a little one a way to exoress their anger more effectively. It gives them some good strategies for how to calm themself.
ReplyDeleteThe perfect book for ADHD is called It's Hard Being a Verb. It is about a spunky little boy. His mom gives him some sound advice on how to focus and calm down. Come to find out at the end of the book that his mom was a verb too.
thanks for the suggestion - i'll have a look for it!
ReplyDelete