The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate

The Mindful Child is about utilizing deep breathing and meditation to improve the child's awareness, attention, stress, and emotional/social skills. I was not aware that "mindful awareness" was a term that involved 'deep breathing' and 'meditation' so intensely, and these words were not mentioned ANYWHERE in the book's descriptions or on the book jacket. That really irritated me that they wouldn't take one sentence to explain to someone (a clueless person like me) what "mindful" means to them, and this made the book's description very misleading. If I had read "deep breathing" or "meditation" on the book description, I would NOT have purchased the book, as this does not meet the need for which I originally purchased this. I will be returning it.That said, the reason I gave as many stars as I did was because the author seems well informed and did have some good strategies---and research---to support her views. For those out there that would like to try the deep breathing and meditation techniques, this is a fantastic book to get you started. The advice and content seems sound, however, it just was not what I was looking for at all! Very disappointed in the book descriptions...is does not give a clear picture of what the book was about. It was a big let down for me as I started to read.

I've just started The Mindful Child in hopes of helping my boys, particularly my 9 year-old, cope with stress. He's super bright but socially and emotionally behind. Plays beautiful piano and cello, but can't relate to his peers, a huge source of stress; he's also a military kid, and my husband travels fairly frequently. . . - 15 months away in '03-'04 - presently gone for 2 weeks; lastly, both boys have sleep apnea, not solved by conventional treatments, they use CPAP machines. My 9 y/o has really been fighting the machine the last couple of weeks, and his behavior is reflective of his lack of good quality sleep.Last night though, I guided them through "Making Connections Between Breath, Body and Mind." My 9 y/o was out before I finished! THANK YOU for this tool! I just started the book, and jumped ahead in search of something to help them ease out of the day's activities, and into a restful sleep!I can hardly wait to try it again tonight!

I found this book to be truly amazing. As both a psychotherapist (working with children, adolescents, and adults) and yoga teacher, I have utilized ideas from this book almost daily. It has even helped to deepen my own practice even though I do not have children of my own. I have shared ideas from this book from a number of colleagues and some of them have purchased it that same day. I believe Greenland shares something we are all searching for, whether we are psychotherapists, parents, teachers, yoga teachers, or people wanting to improve our own mindfulness/meditation practice in a playful way. It has proved to be one of the most valuable tools in my psychotherapy toolbox. I am grateful for Greenland sharing her wealth of knowledge and research.

I actually utilize lots of the activities in "The Mindful Child" with my teen who is on the Autism spectrum. They're easy to learn and have really helped with her anxiety. The lessons included can be used with children of nearly any age. I use lots of the information with my 5 year old as well. It's helped add coping strategies to our home and who couldn't use more of those? Definitely worth a read, especially if you apply mindful and gentle parenting actions inside of your home.

With skill and genuine insight, Susan Kaiser Greenland adapts the principles of mindfulness to the needs and interests of children. She explains clearly the foundations of the practice for parents and teachers and outlines dynamic methods to translate mindfulness into practical and meaningful tools for kids. The book outlines activities to develop awareness, balance and compassion, offering engaging examples and suggestions to use along the way. This text is both brilliant and realistic, useful for parents and practitioners - to use with children and young people in managing the complexities of the world or simply for the sheer joy of reading it.

This was recommended by our 14yo's therapist. She suffered from anxiety ... our daughter, not her therapist. Well, I don't think her therapist has anxiety but I have never asked. Anyway, this book is pretty hippy dippy. I am not really sure who it is geared for. It's mostly stories about the author's career and journey toward Mindfulness practice. I am still not completely sure what that all means and I didn't really learn much in the way of how I can help or support my daughter. It seems the author works mostly with younger children and in group settings with games and activities. Not really helpful to a angsty teenaged girl who already thinks meditation and breathing are goofy concepts. Maybe you will have better luck than me. Maybe you will say you think it's great so you don't feel like you were too ignorant to get it. That's what I'm going to tell people when they ask me about it. I'm going to say it was really enlightening. Oh, and I already donated the book to the therapist for her library.

This book has been amazing for me so far. It was recommended to me by an occupational therapist who I greatly admire. I have a two year old and I am a preschool teacher for a group of one year old's. I already have my two year old practicing deep breathing with me on the way to school and a more focused group of one year old's. I can't wait to see what happens when I have finished to book and can apply more of Greenland's ideas.

I'm not all the way through this book, but so far it has been VERY helpful. Our five year old has Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, and Expressive Language Disorder. She's also very stubborn and strong-willed (which has been good in helping her survive all her heart/health issues). However, this makes for a child who gets frustrated easily, has a temper, and wants things her way. This book is helping me find ways to work with my daughter to help her stay more calm and have less meltdowns.

This book is a wonderful place to start for anyone interested in mindfulness with children. Presented in an informative yet not at all patronising way it touches on aspects of science & evidence-based research but primarily serves as a practical guide to introducing children to mindfulness. The book contains several exercises covering different aspects of a mindfulness way of being that I can imagine incorporating into a classroom setting and with children at home. A Recommended read!

I am a parent and a kids yoga teacher. This book has been very helpful for me. As a parent, I have a tool to help my children raise their awareness and become more conscious about their bodies and minds. As a yoga teacher, this book has helped me integrate mindfulness techniques in my yoga classes. I am very grateful to have acces to all this amazing knowledge and wisdom. Blessings to you all !

well worth a read. Arrived when stated very good condition.

Like this alot. Very accessible for the beginner to meditation, who would like to introduce this to her children. Lots of straight forward ideas for how to get started and ways to move on from there.

very good book