As a Certified Meditation Facilitator for Children, I often use books in my classes to help illustrate the lessons and reasons behind the meditation we're doing that day. The question I'm asked most often by parents, teachers, and clients is "What books do you recommend to help me teach my child about meditation and mindfulness?"
Today, I'd like to introduce you to Charlotte and the Quiet Place by Deborah Sosin (ages 3-8).
Charlotte is a young girl who lives in a noisy home in a cacophonous city. Poor Charlotte can't even find a quiet place at school, where she's surrounded by her boisterous classmates. Where can Charlotte find a quiet place? We follow her on a journey that finally leads her to find a quiet place she'd never noticed before.
This book is magical because anyone can relate to the need for a quiet place! Though Charlotte lives in a much larger city than I, each child in my classes related to noises in the home, and especially at school. It's a simple way to introduce young children to mindful breathing techniques with the help of Charlotte's own "hooo-aaaah" breaths. Parents and teachers of highly sensitive children or overstimulated children will find this book especially useful.
The illustrations, done by Sara Woolley, are brilliant watercolors and the children in my classes were captivated by the bright and varied scenes. We spent time looking further into each picture and identifying the different noises Charlotte would be hearing in each scene in addition to the ones mentioned in the text. I was thrilled to see diverse characters throughout the book, and so were my students!
Sometimes it seems as if children thrive in noise and chaos, but they need quiet, calm moments as much as anyone else. They may simply be unable to recognize this in the moments they need it the most. I highly recommend bringing Charlotte into your homes and classrooms as a guide for helping your children find their quiet place inside.
Download your free Quiet Place meditation for children here. This meditation was written to accompany the book, but can also be used on its own.
Visit Charlotte at www.charlotteandthequietplace.com.
This post originally appeared on mostlymindfulmommy.com. Katy Allred holds group meditation classes for children where her favorite part is hearing the children share their innate wisdom and guiding them to cultivate it further. She offers coaching to parents and families around the globe to assist them in deepening their connections using mindfulness techniques. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Join the ^mostly mindful mommy community on Facebook here!