Little Flower Yoga for Kids


Book Description

Wouldn’t it be great if your child could exercise, have fun, and build concentration skills all at the same time? In 2006, the Little Flower Yoga program was developed by teacher and certified yoga instructor Jennifer Cohen Harper, when her successful use of yoga in her kindergarten classroom led to requests by other students, teachers, and administrators for yoga programs of their own. Harper slowly began to teach more and more yoga classes, and eventually recruited other yoga teachers with education backgrounds to continue growing what had become a flourishing program. Little Flower Yoga for Kidsoffers this fun and unique program combining yoga and mindfulness in an easy-to-read format. Written specifically for parents and kids, the book aims at teaching children to pay attention, increase focus, and balance their emotions—all while building physical strength and flexibility. Based on a growing body of evidence that yoga and mindfulness practices can help children develop focus and concentration, the simple yoga exercises in this book can easily be integrated into their child’s daily routine, ultimately improving health, behavior, and even school achievement. The book details the five main components of the program: connect, breath, move, focus, and relax. Drawing on these components, Harper shares practical activities that parents can use with their children both on a daily basis and as applied to particularly challenging issues. And while this book is targeted to parents, teachers may also find it extremely useful in helping students achieve better attention and focus. For more information about this innovative program, visit www.littlefloweryoga.com.




Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens


Book Description

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.




Mindfulness for Kids with ADHD


Book Description

Help your child with ADHD thrive. Mindfulness for Kids with ADHD offers fun and accessible mindfulness exercises designed to help kids with ADHD successfully navigate all the areas of life—from making friends and doing well in school to establishing healthy habits and limiting screen time. As a parent, you know that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can make the normal developmental tasks of childhood more difficult to accomplish in numerous ways. These tasks include: making friends, doing well in school, organizing belongings and schoolwork, identifying and managing feelings, developing a positive self image, getting along with family members, following rules, doing chores, establishing a healthy sleep pattern, eating a healthy diet, and making good choices about exercise and use of screen time. The activities in this easy-to-use workbook will help your child develop self-awareness and self-reflection—two skills that kids with ADHD typically need extra help with. The book also illustrates and teaches the process of setting intention and using specific mindfulness skills to identify and improve feelings, self-image, behavior, stress level, concentration, hyperactivity, and relationships. If you’re a parent of a child with ADHD, you may feel conflicted about the best treatment options available. Whether used alone or in conjunction with therapy, this powerful workbook provides real skills your child can use every day to improve their quality of life and help them enjoy being a kid!




Mindfulness for Anxious Kids


Book Description

Help your child stay calm when anxiety takes hold. In The Mindfulness Workbook for Anxious Kids, two licensed psychologists offer fun and effective mindfulness and emotion regulation activities to help kids cope with anxiety, panic, stress, fear, and worry. Between school, friends, and just growing up, it’s normal for kids to feel worried or anxious some of the time. But if your child’s anxiety is getting in the way of achieving goals or living life, they may need a little extra help managing stress and difficult feelings. This workbook is a great place to start. The Mindfulness Workbook for Anxious Kids provides engaging and evidence-based activities grounded in mindfulness practices and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help kids stay calm and balance their emotions—whether they’re at school, with friends, or at home. Using the skills outlined in this workbook, your child will learn to manage anxiety associated with daily life, anxiety disorders, and trauma. The workbook also addresses specific anxiety issues, such as panic, separation anxiety, social anxiety, and phobias. Emotions can be confusing, and negative or difficult emotions are often the cause of anxiety in children. But emotions cannot be avoided. This workbook will help your child make friends with their emotions, understand them, and use them effectively.




The Gender Identity Workbook for Kids


Book Description

"A sensitive and empowering exploration of identity and expression that both educates and celebrates." —School Library Journal The Gender Identity Workbook for Kids offers fun, age-appropriate activities to help your child explore their identity and discover unique ways to navigate gender expression at home, in school, and with friends. Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) children need validation and support on their journey toward self-discovery. Unfortunately, due to stigma and misinformation, these kids can be especially vulnerable to bullying, discrimination, and even mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. The good news is that there are steps you can take to empower your child as they explore, understand, and affirm their gender identity. This important workbook will guide you both. In this guide, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in gender-nonconforming youth offers real tools to help your child thrive in all aspects of life. You and your child will discover a more expansive way of understanding gender; gain insight into gender diverse thoughts, feelings, and experiences; and find engaging activities with fun titles such as, “Apple, Oranges, and Fruit Bowls” and “Pronoun Town” to help your child to explore their own unique identity in a way that is age-appropriate and validating. No child experiences gender in a vacuum, and children don’t just transition—families do. Let this workbook guide you and your child on this important journey in their lives.




The OCD Workbook for Kids


Book Description

Does your child have OCD? In this much-needed Instant Help workbook, kids will learn to identify obsessions and compulsions, understand them, and use simple tools based in exposure and ritual prevention to cope with and overcome this difficult disorder. If your child has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), he or she may suffer from obsessive thinking, use rituals to soothe anxiety, and act compulsively in ways that are disruptive and sometimes harmful. As you know all too well, OCD can greatly interfere with school, friends, and home life. So, how can you help your child be their very best? With this evidence-based workbook for kids, your child will learn how and why they struggle, and gain a greater understanding of what OCD is by identifying common symptoms, including contamination concerns, fear of harm, need for order/symmetry, and excessive doubting. Your child will then be gently guided to name their own symptoms and rate the extent to which each symptom causes them anxiety. The workbook also provides a framework for children to apply exposure and ritual prevention strategies to anxiety-provoking situations independently or with help from you or a caregiver. Detailed instructions for completing exposure exercises will be covered, including how long exposures should last, and how often they should be repeated. Finally, the workbook will show you and your child how to build a solid support system of family, friends, teachers, and professionals to aid you in managing OCD symptoms and building a lifestyle that will help you both deal with your child’s symptoms more effectively. If your child’s OCD is holding them back from living the happy childhood you want for them, this easy-to-read and practical workbook can help them cope with symptoms and really thrive—at home, in the classroom, and well into adulthood.




Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools


Book Description

This is the first research-based text intended to help teachers and practitioners implement mindfulness and yoga programs in schools. A complete review of the literature on mindfulness and yoga interventions is provided along with detailed steps on how to implement such programs. Training requirements, classroom set-up, trauma-sensitive practices, and existing quality programs are reviewed. Twelve core principles of mindfulness and yoga in schools are woven throughout for the utmost in continuity. As a whole, the book provides tools for enhancing classroom and school practices as well as personal well-being. It is distinguished by its emphasis on research, translation of research into practice, and insight into potential roadblocks when using mindfulness and yoga in schools. Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools provides: A thorough examination of the efficacy of mindfulness and yoga in reducing stress and conflict and enhancing student engagement to serve as a rationale for integrating such programs into schools How-to sections for training, classroom and lesson plan preparation, and implementing specific techniques and comprehensive programs Photographs, scripts, and figures to help implement your own programs A tool for assessing and cultivating teacher and student self-care Part I reviews the conceptual model for embodied self-regulation and the risks associated with a lack of self-regulation, an intervention model used in education, and tips for implementing mindfulness and yogic practices within this approach. Parts II and III review the philosophical underpinnings of mindfulness and yoga and critically review the mindfulness and yoga protocols and interventions implemented in schools. Part IV addresses mindful self-care for students and teachers, including a scale for establishing self-care goals and a scoring system.




The Gifted Kids Workbook


Book Description

Help your gifted child embrace their uniqueness. In this workbook, a therapist offers fun activities and strategies to help children ages 7 to 12 boost self-confidence, reduce stress and overwhelm, and balance emotions. As a parent, you understand the blessings and the challenges of raising a gifted child more than anyone. Although gifted kids are often seen as intellectually and academically privileged, those same gifts can also create challenges. For example, kids are often quite aware of their differences, and this awareness can negatively impact their sense of self and confidence in the world. This engaging workbook directly addresses the psychological needs of gifted children using a powerful combination of mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and self-compassion strategies. With this workbook, your child will gain a better understanding of their unique gifts and learn essential strategies to help regulate their emotions, manage anxiety, improve mood, and navigate social relationships. Young readers will learn that they are not alone in their experiences, and that much of what others might consider to be different or strange about them is actually quite typical within the context of giftedness. For children, feeling different from others can be difficult. With this workbook, your child will learn that they have an important place in the world, and that their gifts are something to celebrate.




Kid Confidence


Book Description

"A wise and realistic program for instilling genuine self-esteem in children." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review Help your child cultivate real, lasting confidence! In Kid Confidence, a licensed clinical psychologist and parenting expert offers practical, evidence-based parenting strategies to help kids foster satisfying relationships, develop competence, and make choices that fit who they are and want to become. As parents, it’s heartbreaking to hear children say negative things about themselves. But as children grow older and begin thinking about the world in more complex ways, they also become more self-critical. Alarmingly, studies show that self-esteem, for many children, takes a sharp drop starting around age eight, and this decline continues into the early teen years. So, how can you turn the tide on this upsetting trend and help your child build genuine self-esteem? With this guide, you’ll learn that self-esteem isn’t about telling kids they're “special.” It’s about helping them embrace the freedom that comes with a quiet ego—a way of being in the world that isn't preoccupied with self-judgment, and instead embraces a compassionate view of oneself and others that allows for both present awareness and personal growth. When kids are less focused on evaluating and comparing themselves with others, they are freer to empathize with others, embrace learning, and connect with the values that are bigger than themselves. You’ll also discover how your child’s fundamental needs for connection, competence, and choice are essential for real self-esteem. Connection involves building meaningful and satisfying relationships that create a sense of belonging. Competence means building tangible skills. And choice is about being able to make decisions, figure out what matters, and choose to act in ways that are consistent with personal values. When children are able to fulfill these three basic needs, the question of “Am I good enough?” is less likely to come up. If your child is suffering from low self-esteem, you need a nuanced parenting approach. Let this book guide you as you help your child create unshakeable confidence and lasting well-being.




Anxiety Relief for Kids


Book Description

“Just what the doctor ordered! A clear, concise, and practical guide to help parents help their children master their anxieties.” —Laurel J. Schultz, MD, MPH, community pediatrician at Golden Gate Pediatrics If you have a child with anxiety, you need quick, in-the-moment solutions you can easily use now to help your child face their fears and worries. Written by a psychologist and expert in childhood anxiety, this easy-to-use guide offers proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure skills you can use at home, in social settings, or anywhere anxiety takes hold. Anxiety Relief for Kids provides quick solutions based in evidence-based CBT and exposure therapy—two of the most effective treatments for anxiety disorders. You’ll find a background and explanation of the different types of anxiety disorders, in case you aren’t sure whether or not your child has one. You’ll also learn to identify your child’s avoidant and safety behaviors—the strategies your child uses to cope with their anxiety, such as repeatedly checking their homework or asking the same questions repeatedly—as well as anxiety triggers that set your child off. With this book, you’ll find a wealth of information regarding your child’s specific anxiety disorder and how to respond to it. For example, if your child has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the skills you use to help them are different than other anxiety disorders. No matter your child’s specific symptoms or diagnosis, you’ll discover tailored interventions you can use now to help your child thrive. If your child has an anxiety disorder, simple, everyday activities can be a real challenge. The practical solutions in this book will help you deal with your child’s anxiety when it happens and restore balance and order to both your lives. What readers are saying: “I was surprised to learn how much of what I was doing as a parent was exacerbating (and not helping) our son's anxiety.” — Kath “This book does such a great job of explaining what anxiety is, the range of ways it can show up in kids (and/or adults) and how you can get it under control. ... The guidance laid out is priceless and will be beneficial to anyone suffering from anxiety.” — Jennifer “This is a very practical and informative book that will guide parents in helping their children suffering from anxiety or worry. ... Cognitive behavioral therapy is the backbone of Dr. Walker's approach and she makes the approach clear and accessible to non-professionals. A great addition to any parent’s bookshelf!” — Michael This book has been selected as an Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Book Recommendation— an honor bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.