My top 10 calming resources for emotional wellbeing in young children

Emotional regulation and emotional resilience are key concepts to develop awareness and skills around for children of all ages, starting from the very young. Good mental health is every person’s birthright, however unfortunately in Australia our children are facing something of a crisis. Beyond Blue reports that 1 in 7 school aged children were diagnosed with a mental health condition in 2015, and this doesn’t take into account that mental health conditions are notoriously under-reported and under-diagnosed due to a pervasive social stigma around these conditions.

It’s really important for parents, carers, teachers and anyone with young people in their lives to be proactive about encouraging the development of emotional intelligence, and raising awareness around good mental health practices.  

I have two children who are currently 6 and 3 years old, and unfortunately I have witnessed already (in both my own 6 year old, and some of his friends) how emotional challenges can manifest in ways that may lead to bigger issues in years to come. These early years are filled with many powerful social and emotional lessons that can leave an imprint for life, and so I am constantly seeking new resources that can help my kids stay calm and improve their emotional resilience in fun, age-appropriate ways.
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My top 10 resources that I have found most helpful with my own young children are:

APPS

Headspace

I’m a big fan of Headspace and have been using it myself for about 18 months, but did you know they also have a catalogue of tracks for kids? ​They have a selection of short meditations on a variety of topics for a range of different age groups, with titles such as “Calm”, “Cool Off”, “Kindness” and “Sleep Tight”. 

​​There is no background music, but you can choose the length of time you want the track to run and they are very thoughtfully designed to be gentle and effective. I highly recommend Headspace for both kids and adults!

Moshi Stories and Meditations

This is a relatively new one we have discovered, and it has changed bedtimes for us. The Moshi bedtime stories are very slow and relaxing, with gentle music and singing interwoven through the stories, that lull my daughter to sleep almost every night without fail. A peaceful wind-down to sleep helps encourage a deeper rest. My son finds them relaxing but he likes to stay awake until the end to hear the whole story, then we do a meditation :-)

There are sleepy music tracks that help to set the tone as you are getting ready for bed, as well as calming meditations with titles such as “Colourful Cloud Relaxation” (my favourite), “Relax like a Cuddly Wibble” and “Rainbow Rider Relaxation”. I personally have to fight to stay awake whilst I am listening to these with the kids, they are very relaxing and well produced. 

CDs/ALBUMS

Carmen Warrington –  "The Magical Forest: Meditation Adventures for children"

Carmen Warrington is one of my favourite meditation teachers/facilitators, and she has a range of wonderful CD’s for adults that I have used myself for many, many years. Her voice is so gentle, warm and nurturing. Her children’s album is extra special as she combines her creativity and calm voice with beautiful sound effects and each track explores a different aspect of nature in the form of a relaxing adventure.

​Tracks have titles like “Water”, “Sky”, “Earth” and “Star”. Her colleague and musician David Jones narrates some of the tracks too which is nice if your child prefers a male voice, and he has a similarly calming voice and energy. This is one of our absolute favourite albums.

​Kira Willey - “Mindful Moments for Kids”

 This is a sweet album filled with 30 easy, one-minute mindful exercises for kids, with titles like “Flower breath”, “Bear Breath”, and “Hot Chocolate”. Sometimes I do this in the car, before we leave, or when we arrive but before we get out of the car – kids can do anything for one minute! Kira Willey also has some beautiful albums with songs that were specially written to listen to whilst doing yoga for kids, but you don’t need to do the moves to enjoy the music.

Relax Kids – range of meditation CDs

Relax Kids is an organisation that includes a lot of different resources for helping kids to be calm, including classes and printables to do at home. We like the CD’s that feature short, fun meditation adventures, with album titles like “Superheroes”, “Princesses” and “Quiet Spaces”. The narrator has an English accent and I must admit her voice isn’t as relaxing to listen to as the others listed above, but the kids don’t seem to mind and the content of the meditations are very sweet.  

ONLINE

Cosmic Kids Yoga – Peace Out, Zen Den and Yoga sessions

I’m sure you’ve already heard of Cosmic Kids, but if you haven’t make sure to check it out! Cosmic Kids is a very popular free online resources for ‘kids yoga, stories and fun’. The main presenter Jaime really does a wonderful job of bringing kids yoga to life with fun and adventure, and my kids both LOVE her yoga classes and follow along with every move.

​She has also started producing shorter videos teaching mindfulness and relaxation in a fun way with her “Peace Out” and “Zen Den” classes. There is a Zen Den class called “The Owl and the Guard Dog” that we’ve watched several times, and has really helped my son understand how to calm down his inner ‘guard dog’ when it starts barking loudly.  

BOOKS

Trace Moroney - "When I’m Feeling... " book set 

This is a lovely collection of sweet picture books designed to help children understand their different emotional states. There are eight books in the series, each focused on a different emotion, including ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, and ‘jealous’.

​Each book describes and validates what it is like to feel each of these emotions through the eyes of the main character (non-confrontationally represented as a cute bunny), and then describes some healthy and productive ways to manage those feelings. These books are gentle yet powerful, and provide valuable guidance to help children recognise and manage their own big feelings.

​Thich Nhat Hanh - "Each Breath a Smile" 

Another beautiful and deceptively simple picture book that introduces a famous meditation by Zen Buddhist master, Thich Nhat Hanh, in a very accessible way. The images and writing are very evocative, and I was moved to tears the first time I read this with the kids. It is one to return to, over and over.

​Thich Nhat Hanh - "Planting Seeds – practicing mindfulness with children" 

This is a book for parents, teachers and carers that provides a complete overview of all of Thich Nhat Hanh’s practices for children. It has lots of activities designed to help children (and adults!) learn about mindfulness and it’s ability to reduce stress and anxiety whilst improving communication and emotional resilience.

It has beautiful illustrations throughout and a CD with songs and activities. This is one to look to for slightly older children (I’m only just starting to work with this one, with my 6 year old) but is a treasure trove of inspiration and tools to bring peace into everyday life.

​"Big Life Journal"

The Big Life Journal website has both printed books (Big Life Journal, Big Life Journal 2nd Edition and Big Life Journal for Tweens and Teens) as well as online resources including printable worksheets, kits and other products. All of their resources are aimed at fostering and developing a “Growth Mindset” so kids can develop reilience and confidence. I really like their colourful, fun approach and gentle introduction of important concepts.  These resources are really for children a bit older (I'd say 6+) but it's never too early to introduce these ideas.

​"Buddha at Bedtime", "The Buddha’s Apprentice at Bedtime", "Magical Animals at Bedtime", and other books in the series

These delightful bedtime books contain a collection of creative and calm stories designed to be read together before sleep. They always illustrate a moral from Buddhist philosophy, or a positive psychology concept to guide or inspire children in a gentle way, and these are clearly highlighted/recapped at the end of each story.

​The books are beautifully illustrated and also include some simple meditations and notes for parents at the beginning or end of the book. These have been firm favourites in our household for years, and can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages who will relate to the stories on different levels.

​Well that’s it! I hope you enjoyed my wrap up of 10 of my favourite calming and inspiring resources for kids.
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Do you have any favourites that I haven’t discovered yet? If so leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear about them. Have a wonderful day and enjoy helping your children learn about emotional health and wellbeing – a gift that will last a lifetime.