Finally -- a comprehensive, practical and user-friendly mindfulness resource written specifically for children and adolescents. Best-selling mindfulness author Debra Burdick has blended the latest research and best practices to create this straight-forward guide for improving self-awareness, self-regulation skills, mental health, and social connectedness in kids and teens. This expertly crafted resource features a collection of more than 150 proven tools and techniques, presented in a simple, step-by-step skill building format. Perfect for mental health practitioners, teachers and all in the helping professions. Tools for explaining mindfulness and neurobiology in kids’ languageActivities, games, and meditations that build basic through advanced mindfulness skillsStep-by-step instruction on teaching and practicing mindfulness, meditation and reflectionGuidance on choosing age appropriate skillsHow to apply mindfulness skills to specific childhood mental health disordersJournal prompts to help integrate learningGoal-setting charts for tracking progressDownloadable worksheets, exercises and reflections

Providing a comprehensive overview of the benefits of mindfulness for children and adolescents, this edited collection offers an in-depth exploration of research, theory, and practice from international perspectives. The book written by academics and clinicians from the East and the West, first introduces mindfulness and its roots in spirituality and psychology, and then discusses its potential for enhancing the well-being of children and adolescents. It covers a wide range of topics related to the impact of mindfulness on children and adolescents, including its effects on cognitive development, academic performance, school adjustment, emotion regulation, mental health, and social functioning. The chapters also examine how mindfulness-related concepts, such as self-compassion, can benefit children with and without special needs, as well as the importance of mindful family communication and parenting for the well-being of children and adolescents. The volume offers valuable insights to researchers, educators, and practitioners who wish to help young people cultivate mindfulness and enhance well-being. The insights will also be useful for young people and parents who want to learn about the healing power and health benefits of mindfulness.

This book comprehensively reviews mindfulness-based interventions for specific areas of functioning in children and adolescents, with refreshing insights and perspectives. Based on a solid foundation of research and practice, it presents the nature of mindfulness, examines the psychological processes that may underlie mindfulness, and explores how to assess it. Mindfulness is about how we can be attentive to and present for everything that happens in our daily lives. This book draws upon current research in the field in order to explore topics such as the fundamentals of teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents; assessment of mindfulness in this population; use of mindfulness in educational settings; and clinical applications in mental health, including substance abuse, hyperactivity, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. With contributions from internationally-renowned clinicians and scholars, this book provides a balanced account of the strengths and weaknesses of current research, and how mindfulness-based programs can be used to enhance wellbeing and reduce suffering. This book will be of great interest for academics, scholars and post graduate students involved in the study of the mental health of children and adolescents. It will also appeal to psychologists, psychiatrist, nurses, social workers, rehabilitation therapists and others, such as school counsellors, who provide clinical care to children and adolescents.

This indispensable resource provides a flexible framework and a wealth of engaging tools for teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents with varying needs in school or clinical settings. Numerous kid-friendly mindfulness practices are presented, complete with step-by-step instructions, sample scripts, suggested variations, and discussion questions. The benefits of mindfulness for enhancing children's social–emotional competencies are clearly explained. Clinicians and teachers are guided to select and sequence activities for groups struggling with specific challenges: stress and anxiety, depression, attention problems, behavioral and emotion regulation issues, and trauma. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes 14 reproducible handouts. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

Packed with creative, effective ideas for bringing mindfulness into the classroom, child therapy office, or community, this book features sample lesson plans and scripts, case studies, vignettes, and more. Leading experts describe how to harness the unique benefits of present-focused awareness for preschoolers, school-age kids, and teens, including at-risk youth and those with special needs. Strategies for overcoming common obstacles and engaging kids with different learning styles are explored. Chapters also share ways to incorporate mindfulness into a broad range of children's activities, such as movement, sports, music, games, writing, and art. Giving clinicians and educators practices they can use immediately, the book includes clear explanations of relevant research findings.

This is a new edition of the classic guide to teaching meditation to children – one of the first and still one of the best in terms of clarity, practicality and usability. Avoiding religious terminology, it's aimed at both parents and teachers and explains the varying techniques for working with children in different age groups (from 5 upward), offering a wide range of easy-to-follow and effective exercises. The book explains the benefits of meditation for children, from relieving shyness, anxiety and tension to reducing hyperactivity, aggression and impatience. Meditation has also proved helpful when treating asthma, insomnia and depression, and in improving concentration, establishing emotional balance and enhancing imagination and creativity. In fact, meditation is one of the best tools we can offer children to help them cope with the intensity of their feelings and ease the pressures in their lives – among family, with friends and at school. It gives even very young children power over their thinking and emotions through enhanced self-understanding and is incredibly valuable in helping adolescents to navigate the emotional peaks and valleys of the transition from childhood to adulthood. The edition will be given a new foreword by a prominent child psychologist, and a design that highlights the exercises and makes the text even easier to navigate.

A practical and playful guide for cultivating mindfulness in kids, with 50 simple games to develop attention and focus, and to identify and regulate emotions Playing games is a great way for kids to improve their focus and become more mindful. In this book, The Mindful Child author Susan Kaiser Greenland shares how parents, caregivers, and teachers can bring mindfulness into the classroom or home. She provides 50 entertaining games that develop what she calls the new “A, B, C’s”—Attention, Balance, and Compassion—for your child’s learning, happiness, and success, offering context and guidance throughout. She introduces: • Anchor games that develop concentration • Visualization games that encourage kindness and focus • Analytical games that cultivate clear thinking • Awareness games for sensory awareness, self-regulating emotions, and gaining insight into ourselves, others, and relationships Even though the games are designed for kids, they can be just as fun and transformative for adults. Greenland encourages parents and caregivers to develop their own Attention, Balance, and Compassion and to explore the universal concepts that she presents. Our own mindfulness has a powerful effect on everyone in our lives—especially our children. “A wonderful, fun, and engaging way to bring mindfulness into a child’s life.” —Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

Though acceptance and mindfulness interventions have proven enormously effective for adults with stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, they have not been fully documented for use with children and adolescents. And yet they are a natural fit for children's therapy-the focus on acceptance and mindfulness builds children's psychological flexibility, and the values component of these methods helps young people learn to set goals and take action to achieve them. The chapters in Acceptance and Mindfulness Treatments for Children and Adolescents show how to modify third-wave behavioral and cognitive therapy methods for the treatment of children and adolescents. This book also considers the early evidence for the adaptability and effectiveness of these methods. Edited by two luminaries in the field of third-wave behavior therapy, these essays will be invaluable in helping young patients reap the benefits of acceptance and mindfulness approaches such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Learn how ACT, DBT, MBCT, and MBSR can be used with young people and their families Discover recent third-wave behavior therapy research Explore the practice issues that arise when acceptance and mindfulness techniques are used with children and adolescents Find out how to put these techniques to work in your own practice

Children today face an unprecedented amount of stress due to our fastpaced society, the influence of social media, and the threat of climate change and global pandemicss. Instructors also face new challenges with helping kids focus on what they need to learn. Including mindfulness as part of the curriculum has been shown to help students improve both their academic and social skills. With greater awareness of their feelings and surroundings, children will be more relaxed, creative, and self-confident. Psychologist Amoneeta Beckstein and mindfulness educator Jana York pooled their knowledge and experience to compile this time-friendly program that both teachers and caregivers can implement easily. Designed for kids aged five to eleven, the program can be readily adapted for younger children or teens and is applicable in the classroom or in homeschool settings. Lesson plans are based on the use of vowels (including Y for You) as a mnemonic device. Each letter represents an idea that helps students develop present-moment awareness: Attention, Experience, Investigate, Observe, and Understand. Empirically based exercises include discussion questions that enhance critical thinking skills, and engaging activities and games help children put into practice the concepts they learn. Mindfulness education fosters a new skill set that can last a lifetime. And, as a bonus, it is equally beneficial for instructors!

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Mind-Body Medicine in Children and Adolescents" that was published in Children