My middle child has a problem: sometimes when he gets frustrated, even over the most seemingly innocuous of things, he'll have a crying, screaming, snot-filled emotional meltdown in absolutely no proportion to the triggering incident. This doesn't happen to either of my other children, who tend to look on in bemusement whenever Joseph has one of his "big baby" moments, as they call it (yes, I know it's not very kind, but sometimes it make Joseph laugh and feel less rageful. Heaven knows, the other kids could use a laugh in the face of such intensity, too!) And since it can be hard to figure out what exactly will set him off or when, I'm always on the lookout for solutions that will help him regulate his emotions and regain his composure in a healthy manner.

As a generally mindful parent who's big on self-awareness (and wishes she had way more time to do yoga,) I usually try to get him to deal with these big emotions by engaging in some very simple breathwork. If you've ever watched Daniel Tiger, you'll know exactly what I mean when I say that we do the "When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four" song. But that doesn't always work, so when this book landed in my inbox, I knew I had to prioritize reading it, not only for review here but to see if I could glean any useful tips in working specifically with my middle child. If I got anything I could also use with my other kids, that would definitely be a bonus.

There's a lot of valuable information and advice in this slender volume that's just as much an activity workbook as it is an explanation on what mindfulness is, how to practice it, and how it benefits both caretaker and child. Even as a person who loves breathwork -- I was literally doing every sedentary breathing exercise along with the book as I read -- I learned several new techniques to add to my repertoire. The section devoted to breathing, however, is actually Chapter 3 in the book, as Sarah Dennehy leads readers slowly and intentionally through the many steps of creating a mindfulness practice for your child and yourself. She makes it very clear that, as the caretaker, the adult reader must be an active participant in teaching their child(ren) how to be mindful, and that co-regulation is an integral part of this journey as the caretaker models healthy behaviors for their kids. Her process starts with creating a Connection Corner in the home where caretaker and child can start working on co-regulation together, before eventually taking mindfulness on the road where it can be exercised when most needed. Not all triggers are going to happen at home, after all, and it's good to be prepared to self-regulate whenever and wherever you need it. Caretakers who've had therapy may also recognize some of the tips here as being coping strategies for anxiety and other big, overwhelming emotions with more complicated, grown-up names (and will likely appreciate the utility of having these strategies available from childhood onward too.)

Of course, the voice of the judgmental Asian parent in my head spent a lot of this book arguing with me about whether all of this is even necessary. While I acknowledge her concerns, I also know that, growing up, I would have much rather had the kind of parent who cares about their kids' interior lives and wants to give them real tools to help face emotional challenges, instead of leaving them to try and fail and try again on their own. I get to be that parent for my kids, and while not all of the exercises here are things that my family and I can do -- an obstacle Ms Dennehy acknowledges while stressing that her book is a toolbox not a regimen -- there are certainly enough things here that I want to try out with my kids that will hopefully help deepen our understanding of both mindfulness and of each other. I want my kids to feel like they can always trust me to listen to them and care, and I want to help them continue to grow to be well-adjusted adults who are kind and considerate to others as well as to themselves. That's pretty much my entire parenting philosophy, and I'm so glad to find a book that's more than willing to equip me with the tools I need to achieve that aim.

Mindful With Me: Connecting With Your Child Through Daily Mindfulness by Sarah Dennehy was published September 3 2024 by Collective Book Studio and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781685556785">Bookshop!</a>

Mindful with Me is a fantastic book for introducing families to mindfulness and gently guiding them in implementing various mindfulness practices into their daily lives. This book is short, succinct, and effective. The 9 chapters (titled Inspire, Begin, Breathe, Focus, Feel, Care, Rest, Go, and Practice) begin with a short introduction and are followed by several simple activities on the topic. The layout is clear but colorful. I highly recommend this book for families eager to learn about mindfulness and experience its benefits.

Thank you to The Collective Book Studio for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I love book like this that give me clear ways to bring mindfulness into my life with my kids. By integrating practices with them in their younger tears, I can build their toolboxes for when life inevitably gets harder. And I’m learning great techniques too! I especially appreciated the last chapter where you’re guided through how to set up a practice plan.

This is a very sweet book for practical tips on how parents can work with their children to "calm their bodies". Though it likely could've been shortened as many of the activities are quite similar, it is very useful and full of great ideas.

4.5⭐️
This book is such a cute way to introduce a healthy habit of mindfulness for young ones. It’s so easy to fall into the chaos of busy days, so teaching them early, to start their day off with maintain a bit of mindfulness throughout the day, helps calm the nervous system for both the kids AND the parents.

The book is an uncomplicated quick read, divided into 9 chapters covering everything from understanding mindfulness and the benefits, to establishing your practice. It features four engaging activities throughout the core chapters to help pause, connect, move and create, with most activities being 5 minutes or less.

I really liked the types of breathing included in this. I can really see young kids grasping these methods, with it being so visual and interactive. This might feel a little silly for middle school and above, depending on their imagination and security of space provided (much like doing lion’s breath in yoga can be uncomfortable for some).

As part of my homeschooling journey, I aim to start our days with mindfulness, gratefulness prayer, and exercise to help set a solid foundation for starting each day.

Thanks to NetGalley, The Collective Book Studio, and Sarah Dennehy for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

This book shows us how to regulate our emotions and be more mindful of the simple things we forget to appreciate.
It also shows us how to do mindful practices with our kids. This book should be implemented in school.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love mindfulness practices for myself and have been trying to implement them for my family and my children. This is such a great tool for teaching mindfulness practices to parents and families. It offers fantastic examples, ideas, and guides! I loved the education this book offers and the plan it helps you create with your family. You can make it work for your family specifically, picking ideas from the books’ examples and ideas - which is incredibly helpful! So many of these ideas and tools I have used in my own therapies practicing mindfulness and love. I am excited to try these things out with my kiddos and read some of this with my oldest child, already!

Definitely a 5 ⭐️ recommended book for parenting and even just processing mindfulness on an easy to understand level!

Thank you NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio!

Pub Date: 9/3/2024 ☺️

What a fantastic book to teach mindfulness to adults and children, with 55 activities to practice together. I love both the concept and how it is simply and effectively described. A keeper!

Mindful with Me by Sarah Dennehy is a children’s book that is a mediation guide for parents and children. I am a certified yoga teacher and this book would be perfect for ideas for a parent/child or kids class. I also think this is just a great book to have at home with young kids. The simplicity and “fun” aspect of this book is a great introduction to emotional regulation, mindfulness, and body movement at a young age.

My family and I really enjoyed this book. I did some of the exercises with my three kids (ages 9, 6, and 4).

We will definitely be using what we have learned in the future. My kids all enjoyed the illustrations.
I enjoyed how everything was explained. It made me feel like, ok I can do this. I can guide my kids through some mindfulness.

If I’m being honest. I think this helped me just as much as it helped my children. Definitely recommend and will be reading again.

I abdolutely love this book. I plan to start my three year old working through the book at the beginning of our homeschool year in August. It has really helped me understand how to help him. I think my seven year old will also enjoy this!

This ebook was made available for me to read and review by Sarah Dennehy, The Collective Book Studio, and NetGalley.

The illustrator of this vibrant picture ebook is Natalie Garber Martin. The illustrations are soft, realistic, informative and inviting.

This nonfiction picture ebook is primarily informational. This has instructions for introducing kids to meditation. First there's a definition of what mindfulness is and how using the techniques impact our lives. Then the instruction begins. Each chapter is teaching a specific technique. The basic format is title of chapter, ex Breathe, with inviting illustration. Next page will give short kid friendly paragraphs on focus of this chapter/exercise. The next few pages will give specific exercises with simple kid friendly instructions, ex Belly & Ocean Wave breathing. Then there's usually an activity that the kids create their own style of say breathing/feeling or a treasure hunt style activity to close the chapter. The book ends by demonstrating how to combine the skills taught in the early chapters into a regular mindfulness practice. This encourages a written practice plan which is a wonderful way to get buy in from kids. The appendix includes blank practice plan templates, cut out activities and other resources.

I decided to deliberately read this slowly so I could do the suggested practices with my grandkids who are 7 & 8. I would definitely recommend the adult read through this before trying the exercise with a child. My grandkids responded well and we enjoyed the activities we have done so far. There are multiple exercise per chapter and we did not yet do all of them. This is an excellent resource book that is kid friendly and serves as a nice family centered activity. I'd modify this with a toddler though I did not have time to focus on using this with my 2 yr old grandkid, he did sit with us and try in his own way some of the exercises. This was a very positive experience for myself and my Grands♥️

Thank you to Sarah Dennehy, The Collective Book Studio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I personally think this book should be implemented in all schools specifically those with younger kids.

This is SUCH a fanastic book for parents with kids! Our culture is so BUSY and this book just helps parents and kids slow down. I love the concepts in the book with the ideas of how to truly be mindful.

This book is such a great resource for parents! Many parenting books will TELL parents to regulate their emotions and help their children regulate theirs, however they lack examples of HOW to go about doing so. "Mindful with Me" provides all the tools a parent needs in order to teach children how to be mindful, and thus how to regulate their emotions. It is full of clear, specific, and child friendly exercises to encourage this regulation and inner peace. I can't wait to start implementing some of these practices along with my children!