Children's Mindfulness Books
About the Author
My debut children’s book, Slow Down Amaya, introduces mindfulness to children in a simple but effective way
I have worked in the voluntary sector for over 15 years. During this time, I've worked with children, young people and adults from various backgrounds.
During my time working with children and young people, a large number of them had ASD and ADHD. Upon reflection, I realised that I hadn’t seen many books that included characters who are Neurodivergent and that these children may not often see themselves reflected in books either.
Growing up I didn't see characters who looked like me in books. I wanted to highlight the importance of diversity and representation through the characters in Slow Down Amaya and Slow Down Sammy.
I witnessed the negative impact of the pandemic on the children that I worked with.
After sharing mindfulness 1:1 with children in my role in the Community Learning and Development field, and seeing the benefits it had on their wellbeing and emotional developement, I was motivated to share these tools with more children.
That’s why when the story Slow Down Amaya came to me one evening I knew I had to share it with the world to reach children to help them discover the magic of mindfulness through storytelling.
If you're a teacher or educator, you can download free curriculum aligned lesson plans based on my books here.
Slow Down Amaya
Come along on Amaya’s journey of slowing down and meeting a new friend in nature.
Amaya is a friendly and excitable butterfly who is always busy. She learns to slow down and be in the here and now by using her senses. Amaya guides children through a mindfulness activity to practice being in the moment.
This mindfulness based picture book helps children explore emotions, friendship, kindness and inclusivity. It is the perfect way to support children develop their creative thinking and includes activity pages for added fun.
Target age: 4-8 years old
However younger and older children can also read it.
Reader Reviews
“The book is a really fun and engaging way to learn about mindfulness. I would highly recommend it to every kid, and even to their parents, as it’s a great way to introduce everyone to being mindful in the present and letting go of past or future worries. Well done to the author!”
- Lotta
“What a pleasant story and a cracking introduction to mindfulness for little ones! As an adult with an anxiety disorder who has been practising mindfulness for about 15 years now, I was very impressed with how well this was broken down and made accessible for little ones. I wish I'd had this when I was small.
The illustrations are a delight too. My child is almost grown up now but I will be gifting this to a little one as I'm sure it will bring so much joy.”
- Steph
“A lovely story, my 2.5 year old loved Amaya's adventure. She practised using all her senses alongside the characters and asked to read it again immediately!”
-Kirsten
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Slow Down Sammy
Discover how mindfulness can help reduce worries and create a calmer mind.
Sammy feels anxious and worried about an upcoming event. With Amaya’s help, he begins to let go of his worries and feels more at ease by playing a mindfulness game.
The story explores the rollercoaster of emotions that are felt when thinking about the future.
Slow Down Sammy includes activity pages to support children with exploring their emotions and ways to manage feeling worried.
Target age: 4-8 years old
Reader Reviews
“A brightly illustrated book. Ideal for discussing feelings of anxiety with young children. I really liked that children can write in the book and that they are given proactive ways to manage their feelings.”
- Trudy
“I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. My son (6 years old) loves this book. We are utilizing the most amazing grounding technique. As a homeschool mom that has severe ADHD, it's important to emphasize and teach my children grounding and mindfulness techniques. The author really put a lot of empathy and compassion into this book when it comes to real life examples. Sammy and Amaya should be a cartoon for others, regardless of age.”
- Netta
“This is a lovely children’s picture book which introduces a mindfulness technique to reduce feelings of worry or anxiety in children. This book will be a wonderful tool in supporting children I work with as a social worker and I will also be sharing it with my own pre-school children. The language is straightforward for young readers and the pictures bright and appealing.”
-E
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The Mindfully Slow Down Club
Do you want to help your child manage their emotions and create a calmer family environment?
You can do just that inside the...
The Mindfully Slow Down Club
A monthly kid's membership filled with fun activities to support your child's wellbeing, which will benefit your whole family!
What's Included?
The Mindfully Slow Down Club includes a 4-week reading challenge to help you share mindfulness with your child with story books. This will give you time to connect with each other when life feels busy.
Two monthly interactive mindfulness and social-emotional learning based activities. Plus, an audio mindfulness meditation so you can bring more calm moments to your whole family (because juggling everyone’s needs and emotions can be a challenge).
Activities include: drawing, creative writing, journal prompts, discussion prompts, scavenger hunts, and more.
You’ll get access to a private Padlet, to help children feel part of a community to share their creative work with others.
Exclusive members access to the hub space, so you’ll be able to have everything at the tips of your fingers!
How Will it Make a Difference?
When children join The Mindfully Slow Down Club they will:
Learn ways to express and manage their emotions which means more moments of calm and connection within your family.
Explore coping strategies to reduce stress and anxious feelings.
These tools can be used when preparing your child for new experiences or transitions, such as starting school, moving house, or changing family dynamics.
Feel motivated to read through fun and engaging ways while improving their literacy skills.
Increase their self-confidence and develop positive self-talk.
Increase their awareness of diversity and inclusion with diverse picture books.
More About Me
Many of the children and young people I’ve worked with over the past 15 years have found it challenging to manage their emotions, which impacted their mental wellbeing and increased stress for their family.
For 7 years, I worked with children in the Community Learning and Development field supporting them to develop their social-emotional skills through interactive and inclusive activities in community and school settings.
In 2020, I trained to become an accredited Children’s and Teenager’s Creative Mindfulness Practitioner. This brought me new insights and tools to help support children’s wellbeing and guide them to feel happier and calmer.
As a young child, I was very quiet, especially in school, but on the inside my mind was (and still is) busy with hundreds of thoughts. I went to a yoga class with my sister and always found it relaxing.
My favourite part of the class was the mindfulness and meditation activities. I used to practice the ‘homework’ and vividly remember sitting down with my legs crossed and meditating while chanting ‘aum’.
When children are introduced to mindfulness techniques they can develop their social-emotional skills. So they’ll feel more present and able to regulate their emotions and develop emapthy with others.
I want to help your child (and family) have more calm moments without you needing to sacrifice your time searching for activities and resources from all different places.
I’ll grab the candle, you grab the blanket. And sign your family up for more moments of calm this month and beyond.
Join today for only £20 p/m
Age for membership: 4-8 years old.
You can cancel your membership at any time.
No refunds for previous months that you have joined the membership.