Holiday Gifting: Barefoot Books Mindful Activity Pack

 

Finding ways to relieve anxiety is high on many people's list this year. But we don't often talk about it when it comes to children. 

This is dear to my heart because my oldest has struggled so much this year with anxiety. And once it starts in one area, it seems to just keep spreading to other areas of their lives. I have often wished over the last 8 months that I had somehow taught her the tools to deal with anxiety when she was little. 

That's why I love this mindfulness activity deck from Barefoot Books. 

Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness, Focus, and Calm is designed for children as young as 4 years old and there's no limit over that! 

This boxed card deck includes 50 creative mindfulness games, visualizations and exercises divided into 5 categories to help children feel grounded, find calm, improve focus, practice loving-kindness and relax. Whimsical full-color illustrations on both sides of the cards break down each practice into easy-to-follow steps. Tips on individual cards plus an 8-page instructional booklet show modifications that make these activities inclusive for children of all abilities.

I love that these are available in English...

...and Spanish!

I strongly recommend buying these as an essential teaching tool for your children! I wish I'd had them when my older kids were younger, and I'm planning on buying them for my youngest...who will "share" them with his older siblings. ;) 

If you're interested in getting your own, you can purchase them directly from Barefoot Books or click on the links below to get them from Amazon. 

Taking Time for Your Kid's Mental Health

Creative Commons / Kristina Alexanderson - Flickr

Hey, Friends. 

Normally, every year about this time, I'm raving about avoiding the summer slide and sneaking in a bunch of learning with your kids.

But I'm not doing that just yet this year because I honestly have not been doing that with my kids. This year has been rough on all of us and I think our kids need a break. They need time to just be with you without pressure or stress. I know, I know... easier said than done. But I do think it is critical for us to spend a few weeks focusing on our kids' emotional health. 

In fact, I feel this is so important that I wrote about it for PBS SoCal. Hop over there and read about the different ways that you can focus on their mental health by helping them let their worries go and feel a sense of security.

Anxiety manifests itself differently in children. They complain about their stomach. Or they have "bad attitudes." Or if they are younger, they start crying or whining a lot more than usual. If your kids seem mad or difficult or argumentative, maybe that's their way of asking for help. They need reassurance from us. They need to know things are going to be okay. Even if you think they won't be, you need to provide that sense of love and security that your kids need from you.

So don't worry about what they're learning - or forgetting! - right now. Focus on comforting and creating as peaceful a home environment as you can. Help them learn to face difficult times and survive the storm without sacrificing their emotional well-being.

I'll be providing resources soon for summer learning. But before you worry about that, take care of this.