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.
Resources for the Whole Family
Free Guided Meditations
Morning “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 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
A Great Good Place for Books Amazon
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
