Mindfulness Resources to Support Our Community
During this unsettling time, many families have expressed the desire for mindfulness resources. The PTA has compiled a simple list of tools and exercises to help you and your children to become more present and calm starting from the inside. Take comfort to know that we are a community–we are in this together, and this moment is temporary.
The Programs PTA team welcomes your feedback and suggestions for additional resources. Please email pta-vp-programs@montclairschool.com.
Resources for the Whole Family
Free Guided Meditations
“MeditOceans” from the Monterey Bay Aquarium — Let the stress float away with sea turtles and moon jellies
Apps for Smartphones/Tablets
Calm — Meditation app with meditations for both parents and children (free trial available)
Headspace — Music-based meditation app for help with getting to sleep, introduction to meditation Learn More
Smiling Mind — Free meditation app developed by educators and psychologists in Australia (see the free “care packages” Smiling Mind compiled below for more ideas, sorted by age group).
Waking Up — Meditation app for kids with lots of tips for parents; offering free trial
Resources for Parents
Mindfulness and Self-Care Articles
Into the MagicShop by James Doty, MD
Child Mind Institute
How Mindfulness Can Help During COVID-19
Self Care in the Time of Coronavirus
Taking Care of Yourself During COVID-19
Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley
A Loving Space for Kids’ Emotions
Four Ways to Feel Good on a Hard Day in Lockdown
Video: How to be Kinder To Yourself
Resources for Children
Activities
Smiling Mind “Care Packages” — free guides containing mindfulness activities for children, available by age group
Create a “Pleasant Events Calendar” — Help children cultivate self-compassion by planning enjoyable activities.
Books
Mindful Monkey Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Charlotte and the Quiet Place by Deborah Sosin
Oakland Public Library A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
The 3 Questions by Jon J Muth
Oakland Public Library A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
I AM by Dr. Wayne Dyer
What Does it Mean to be Present? By Rana DiOrio, Eliza Wheeler
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Unstoppable Me! by Dr. Wayne Dyer
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Incredible You by Dr. Wayne Dyer
Oakland Public Library (E-book) A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
Oakland Public Library A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle
Oakland Public Library A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Milton’s Secret by Eckhart Tolle
Oakland Public Library A Great Good Place for Books Amazon En Espanol
A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles by Thich Nhat Han
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Peaceful Piggy by Kerry Lee MacLean
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Jack the Jack Pine: A Mindful Discovery by Jennifer Brighton
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
Mindful Games: Sharing Mindfulness and Meditation with Children, Teens, and Families
by Susan Kaiser Greenland
Oakland Public Library A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
I Can Do Hard Things by Gabi Garcia
