It’s never too young to start practicing mindfulness. Just like adults, toddlers can practice mindfulness too. Find the best mindfulness books for toddlers to help tame their big feelings and calm incoming tantrums below. These books will absolutely change the way they and you as parents handle big emotions, tantrums and more.
This post is all about mindfulness books for toddlers to help them be more aware of their emotions
You probably already know that mindfulness is an important part of well-being and wellness as a whole. As adults, we often get caught up in our day-to-day hustle and it’s easy to forget to slow down. Being a new mother has made me infinitely more aware and mindful of how I react to child’s feelings and even my own feelings. Being mindful takes practice, and it’s never too late for adults. Similarly, it’s never too late to start teaching young children and even toddlers this skill.
When practiced very regularly, mindfulness can help toddlers identify and regulate their emotions. ✨ Proud mama moment: There have been many times where my toddler has gotten upset and started to spiral into a hurricane of a tantrum, only to stop herself and recall exercises from different meditation books we’ve read together. Some tantrum tornadoes simply cannot be stopped and as a parent, the only thing you can do is ride the wave.
I’ve compiled a list of my favorite mindfulness for toddler books below with short descriptions. Most of these books teach young toddlers to slow down and be at peace. I’ve also linked books that are similar… either in plot, storyline, format, or characters. In addition to being mindful, there are also a few recommendations that teach children to recognize their emotions because emotions are often deeply intertwined with mindfulness.
23 Life Changing Mindfulness Books For Toddlers
Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments For Kids To Feel Calm and Focused Anywhere
I’m starting with this book because it was one of the first books I bought and it’s still one of my favorites. This book is written by Kira Willey, who is an ‘award-winning children’s music artist’, children’s yoga and mindfulness expert, and creator of Rockin’ Yoga school programs. The book is an illustrated collection of mindfulness exercises that teach children various breathing exercises through delightful forest animal illustrations. Examples: “candle breath” “sipping hot chocolate,” and “gentle flower breath”. The book is divided into five sections: Be Calm, Focus, Imagine, Make Some Energy and Relax. All the exercises are very easy to understand and kid-friendly. If your child is a fan of wildlife or woodland animals, this mindfulness book is perfect for them.
This book has more than 30 exercises and is an extended version of this Breathe Like a Bear board book. The board book is perfect for children under 2 and was a nightly read for my family for more than a year. During the first months of COVID in 2020, I had these delivered to my friends as a Zoom birthday party favor. Remember Zoom parties? Given that we read it nearly every night for a year, I can attest to this book having a very positive impact on my toddler.
Other books in this series by the same author:
Mindfulness for Little Ones: Playful Activities to Foster Empathy, Self-Awareness, and Joy in Kids
Another one of my personal favorites, this book features playful mindfulness prompts to ‘foster empathy, self-awareness, and joy” in kids. This illustrated book features a diverse group of children and is labeled specifically for ages 2 to 5, and I think that feels accurate. It’s laid out like a recipe book and promotes co-regulation. Unlike cookbooks and craft books, these creative IRL activities involve 0-very little prep. Example: laying down on grass and looking at the clouds (sounds simple enough but I don’t think this is something most families slow down to do), going on ‘grateful walks’, ‘cotton ball breathing.’
All the exercises are extremely simple and great reminders for parents and children alike. The best part is that children and parents can enjoy them together. What I appreciate the most about this book is that it not only promotes slowing down and mindfulness, it creates different opportunities for parents to slow down and bond with their young children. Buy Mindfulness for Little Ones here.
Other books that are similar:
- Mindfulness Activities for Kids (And Their Grown-ups): Learn Calm, Focus, and Gratitude for a Lifetime
- Mindful Games For Kids: 50 Fun Activities to Stay Present, Improve Concentration, and Understand Emotions
- Meditation for Kids: 40 Activities to Manage Emotions, Ease Anxiety, and Stay Focused
Yoga for Little Kids: Simple Poses to Encourage Calm & Well-Being
This yoga book is so charming and adorable. The poses are very simple (cat pose, star pose, etc). It’s very easy to follow and the pictures are so sweet. These poses could be done as part of a (what we call in our household), “wind down routine” before bed. Unlike some of the books above that focused on breathing, recognition of emotions, this one is focused very specifically on physical yoga moves and poses. Great for the mini yogi in your life. And according to Harvard, “Yoga and mindfulness have been shown to improve both physical and mental health in school-age children (ages 6 to 12)… yoga can also improve focus, memory, self-esteem, academic performance, and classroom behavior, and can even reduce anxiety and stress in children.” So again, it’s never too early to start.
Other books that are similar:
- My First Yoga with matching poster here
- Smile with Yoga: Fun, Mindful, and Engaging Yoga for Kids (and their Parents)
- ABC Yoga: Animals and Nature
Bedtime Meditations for Kids: Quick Calming Exercises to Help Kids Get to Sleep
Slightly different than the others, this book is geared specifically towards light mindfulness exercises to do right before bedtime. This book is geared slightly older (4 to 8) but could work well for an older toddler-newly 4 years old. It’s written by Cory Cochiolo, a certified hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy teacher. The illustrations include a mix of diverse children, young superheroes and brightly colored animals. In doing some of these exercises, I’m not sure if they actually promote sleepiness, but they are a good way to start to wind down (especially fun for kids if you read them in the dark with a flashlight). Buy Bedtime Meditations for Kids here.
Other books that are similar:
- Getting Ready for Bed with Elmo: Meditation (in collaboration with Headspace): There are also a few other Sesame Street x Headspace books to check out!
- Mindful Moments at Bedtime
- Kids Bedtime Sleep Meditations: Guided Night Time Short Stories And Positive Affirmations To Help Children & Toddlers Fall Asleep At Night, Relax, And Have Beautiful Dreams
Meditation Station
Different than the other books, this one is for the little train lover in your life. The other books are a collection of different exercises, while this book has a traditional storyline that toddlers will be able to relate to. It’s such a gentle book with delicate illustrations that teach young children about how their thoughts are like trains.
The main character is a busy little teddy bear train conductor who is watching the trains go by and learning peacefulness through the busy trains. The author, Susan B Katz, was an educator for over 25 years who has published various books for children. This book also won an international book award for ‘best children’s mind/body/spirit.’ I definitely recommend this for young children since the storyline is very short and easy for them to understand. Buy Meditation Station here.
Other books that are similar:
- Breathe and Be: A Book of Mindfulness Poems: The illustrations in this book are delightful
- I am Peace: A Book for Mindfulness: Also part of a much larger series, each of the book features a different character with a different emotion.
- Sitting Still Like a Frog (with 60 minute audio CD)
Calm: Mindfulness for Kids
I really like this series from DK but note this is book more for older kids but they will enjoy looking at the real-life pictures. I’m personally a fan of books with realistic pictures. More on that in another post. There are lots of different exercises in the book and visual guides to doing them like high-five breath and mindful eating. Buy Calm Mindfulness for Kids here.
Other books that are similar:
Important things to remember with toddlers
- They are still growing. Their brains are still developing. They are irrational (but very smart) creatures.
- The books won’t instantly solve all of the tantrums, big emotions, and breakdowns so you need to get rid of those expectations, immediately. Mindfulness is a lifelong skill and with gentle practice with your toddler, they can start to become more aware of their emotions and name them.
- The books above are a great foundation in addition to as a parent, learning to calm yourself down in moments on chaos too. Kids mimic what they see and hear and parents are their #1 role models.
Navigate the mindfulness journey together
Reading these mindfulness books for toddlers, might also teach you a thing or two about controlling your own emotions. I know I’ve personally picked up a lot of tips myself! Go on the mindfulness journey with your toddler. Do the exercises with them and you will be surprised at how you are able to calm yourself during a toddler meltdown. The more you practice mindfulness exercises with your toddler, the more you will both start to calm down during emotional moments. This is definitely not one of those ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type of things. Lead with love here. Also note that trying to recite a story, poem, or exercise while your toddler is quickly spiraling isn’t the way to go. Practice mindfulness proactively before the big emotions arise.
This post was all about mindfulness books for toddlers.
I hope you find one that works for you and your growing tot. Have you found meditation to be helpful to tame the spiraling tantrums? What other books would you add? Let me know how you incorporate mindfulness with your toddler and your family.
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