Looking for the best mindfulness books for kids? These picture books on mindfulness for elementary students are engaging for primary and upper elementary kids. Books with lesson plans and activities linked. Picture books about various topics such as mindful moments, breathing techniques, meditation and more for your kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth or fifth grade students. Your students will delight in these classic and brand new books!
If you’re a member of the Picture Book Brain Trust Community, you already have access to EVERY lesson plan and activity for these books! Just click on the Lesson Plans button in the menu!
So Few Of Me by Peter H. Reynolds
Leo’s list of things to do keeps growing, until one day he wishes, “If only there were two of me.” Just as the words are out of his mouth, poof! Another Leo appears! Two Leos become three, three become four, and four become more . . . but Leo can’t help but notice that he has even more to do than before. As he struggles to deal with his overcomplicated life, Leo realizes that there may be a simpler solution to his overscheduling woes. Peter H. Reynolds, the award-winning author-illustrator of The Dot and Ish, returns with an important message for readers of all ages: stop and take a little time to dream. A great book for talking about dealing with anxiety and overwhelm!
Get the lesson plan and activities for So Few Of Me HERE
I Am Peace by Susan Verde
Mindfulness means being fully in the present moment. Children can learn how to manage their emotions, make good choices, and balance their busy lives by learning to be mindful, express emotions through speech, find empathy through imagination, and wonder at the beauty of the natural world.
Get the lesson plan and activities for I Am Peace HERE
Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin
Most eight-year-olds are about five times as tall as this book . . . but only half as tall as an ostrich, which is half as tall as a giraffe . . . twenty times smaller than a California Redwood! How do they compare to the tallest buildings? To Mt. Everest? To stars, galaxy clusters, and . . . the universe? A great book to show kids just how small we are and remind them that their problems are not as big as they may think.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Your Place in the Universe HERE
The Three Questions by Jon Muth
Young Nikolai is searching for the answers to his three questions: When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? But it is his own response to a stranger’s cry for help that leads him directly to the answers he is looking for. This profound and inspiring book is about compassion and mindfulness.
Get the lesson plan and activities for The Three Questions HERE
Sweep by Louise Greig
Anger and frustration, two emotions students need help dealing with. Ed’s bad mood begins as something really small, hardly a thing at all. But before long it grows, gathers pace, and spreads through the whole town. Can Ed sweep his troubles away?
Get the lesson plan and activities for Sweep HERE
Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus
Leo isn’t reading, or writing, or drawing, or even speaking, and his father is concerned. But Leo’s mother isn’t. She knows her son will do all those things, and more, when he’s ready. A great book to remind kids that with perseverance and patience, all things will come.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Leo the Late Bloomer HERE
Saturday by Oge Mora
In this heartfelt and universal story, a mother and daughter look forward to their special Saturday routine together every single week. But this Saturday, one thing after another goes wrong–ruining storytime, salon time, picnic time, and the puppet show they’d been looking forward to going to all week. Mom is nearing a meltdown…until her loving daughter reminds her that being together is the most important thing of all. A beautiful diverse read aloud also useful for learning about problem-solving and calming strategies.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Saturday HERE
The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson
Dylan is someone who notices things. His mom is someone who doesn’t. So try as he might, Dylan can’t get his mom to listen to the man playing the violin in the subway station. But Dylan is swept away by the beautiful music that fills the air as crowds of oblivious people hurry past.
This gorgeous picture book is based on the true story of Joshua Bell, a world-renowned classical violinist who famously took his instrument down into the Washington D.C. subway for a free concert. More than a thousand commuters rushed by him, but only seven stopped to listen, most of them children. A great book about mindfulness and living in the moment when so many are rushing about their business too caught up in their heads to stop and hear the music.
Get the lesson plan and activities for The Man With the Violin HERE
A Handful of Quiet by Thich Nhat Hanh
A Handful of Quiet presents one of the best known and most innovative meditation practices developed by Thich Nhat Hanh as part of the Plum Village community’s practice with children. Pebble meditation is a playful and fun activity that parents and educators can do with their children to introduce them to meditation. It is designed to involve children in a hands-on and creative way that touches on their interconnection with nature. Practicing pebble meditation can help relieve stress, increase concentration, nourish gratitude, and can help children deal with difficult emotions.
Master of Mindfulness: How to Be Your Own Superhero in Times of Stress by Laurie Grossman
Faster than a speeding spitball, more powerful than a playground bully, able to breeze through homework and finish nightly chores in a single bound, it’s Master of Mindfulness—here to conquer stress, worry, and any trouble that comes your way!
Do you ever feel angry, disappointed, or stressed out about family problems, school, bullies, or trouble with friends? If so, mindfulness can help. Master of Mindfulness is a unique and empowering book written for kids by kids, with cool illustrations and tips that show you how to be confident, get focused, stay calm, and tap into your own inner strength so that you can be your own superhero—no matter what life throws your way!
Puppy Mind by Andrew Jordan Nance
In this picture book for children and adults, illustrated by Jim Durk, who is adored by thousands of children for his many Clifford the Big Red Dog and Thomas the Steam Engine books, a young boy discovers his mind is like a puppy, always wandering away, into the past or the future. He sets about learning to train his puppy mind to heel to the present moment. Through remembering to breathe, the boy becomes a stronger and more caring master of his puppy mind, keeping it in the present, if only for a moment. Includes a link to a discussion guide for parents and teachers.
Best Mindfulness Books For Kids
What are some of your favorite mindfulness books for kids? Are there any must read mindfulness books for kids that I left out? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it!
I love the idea of teaching mindfulness to children – it’s such an important concept that helps with anxiety and just overall happiness. Thank you for sharing this book list. How did you find all of these? I have added quite a few to my story-time list with my children. I think “Saturday” is going to be a winner. My best “mindfulness” read for my daughter has been Chocolate Covered Courage with Blessings On Top. It’s one book in the series that 100% engages the imagination and also instills values that stick. It really is a wonderful resource for any parent to have. I would read it to her, and she would “read” it back to me. There is clever rhyming that is easy to remember and recite. The book teaches how courageous it is to tell the truth. The series covers self-esteem, gratitude, and even sibling dynamics. I would definitely recommend the Chocolate Covered series to any parent hoping to entertain and teach their child. Hope you will check it out – here is the author’s website – Nikki Cooper