Recommended resources for promoting mindfulness

Picture books and longer texts

There is a wide and beautiful range of picture books and longer texts focused on mindfulness and emotional well-being available for children. In my experience, picture books make a huge impact on older pupils as well as younger. Their wonderful thought provoking images often stimulate lots of discussion about emotions. I've collated a short list of recommended reads-books that I've used with students in the past and found very effective and if you click on the following link, The Book Trust has a brilliant list of books to raise mental health awareness in younger readers.

Sad Book: Michael Rosen

A simple and beautifully written book about grief and bereavement. Rosen writes about the loss of his own son in such a heartfelt and honest way that I've found really resonates with my primary readers.

The Colour Monster: Anna Llenas

A very short book which links emotions to different colours. I've used this book several times during sessions encouraging pupils to be able to identify their emotions and match their emotions to different scenarios that can arise daily.

There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom: Louis Sachar

This is one of my absolute favourite class novels to share with UKS2 readers. It focuses on a school bully named Bradley Chalkers who is learning to manage his feelings and relationships while struggling to understand the world around him. Although Sachar doesn't explicitly tell the reader that Chalkers has ASD, it is clear that this is a book about how children with autism and particularly Aspergers can navigate school life with support and understanding from their peers and trusted adults.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay: Adults get Big Feelings too: Danielle Sherman-Lazar

I love the idea of 'big feelings' and I think this book can work for both younger and older readers. Its important for children to realise that its sometimes tricky for EVERYONE to deal with strong feelings and emotions...even grown ups!

The Koala who could: Rachel Bright

This was a great story for younger readers but my Y6 pupils were able to draw parallels with 'Kevin' (the koala) and his unwillingness to let go of his safe spot in his tree. We used the book as a stimulus to talk about how although change can be scary, it can also be fantastic; the message here is that sometimes you just have to let go and take a chance.

Ruby's Worry: Tom Percival

I really like the use of 'worry' being something tangible in this story. The story follows Ruby, a little girl, who has a small worry which grows and grows until it consumes all her thoughts and feelings. At the end of the book, it gives clear and simple advice to children about the importance of sharing our worries with people we love and being honest about our feelings.