10 Best Mindfulness Books for Kids to Build Calm and Focus

Mindfulness books for kids aren’t just nice bedtime reads. They’re tools that can help children slow down, breathe, and feel more grounded.

Life moves quickly for today’s kids. Between school, homework, sports, friends, and the constant pull of screens, it’s easy for their minds to race and their emotions to spiral.

Mindfulness teaches them to notice what’s happening right now, focus on one thing at a time, and handle big feelings without getting overwhelmed. They can learn all this through stories they’ll actually want to read.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness means paying attention to what’s happening right now, such as your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, without judging them. For kids, it’s like pressing a pause button so they can slow down, breathe, and notice the world around them.

Practicing mindfulness can help children:

• Focus better in school
• Build patience and kindness in relationships
• Understand and manage their emotions more easily

A 2024 review on early childhood research found that mindfulness helps children regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, reduces negative emotions, and promotes empathy and prosocial skills [*].

Mindfulness can also support students’ academic performance by improving attention, memory, and reducing stress and anxiety [*].

Best Mindfulness Books for Kids

The right book can make mindfulness fun and relatable for children. These titles feature simple stories, colorful illustrations, and easy exercises to help kids understand and practice mindfulness.

1. Mindful Me: Mindfulness and Meditation for Kids by Whitney Stewart

Mindful Me is a practical, easy-to-read guide that introduces children to mindfulness in ways they can understand and use every day.

The book breaks down what mindfulness means and why it matters, then offers short activities, including breathing exercises, journaling prompts, and relaxation techniques.

Price: $9.99 on Amazon

2. Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey

Breathe Like a Bear is a mindfulness book featuring easy-to-do techniques especially tailored for children, such as candle breath, flower breath, and bear breath. It uses vibrant illustrations featuring animals, which makes it fun and engaging for kids.

This book works particularly well for children because it makes mindfulness concrete and playful rather than abstract. Pretending to breathe like a bear feels like a fun game rather than a serious exercise. The activities are short enough to hold a child's attention but effective enough to actually help them feel calmer or more focused.

Price: $9.90 on Amazon, $16.90 on Barnes and Noble

3. Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snel

Kids are wired to move, explore, and interact. Younger children in particular find it hard to stay focused on one thing for long. Sitting Still Like a Frog features eleven short, purposeful exercises to help kids be more mindful.

The book comes with a CD of guided meditations that children can follow along with, so they can practice independently or with adult guidance.

Price: $7.93 on Amazon, $17.95 on Barnes and Noble

4. I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde

This book follows a young narrator who experiences big, overwhelming feelings and learns to find calm through mindfulness. The story shows the child pausing to breathe, noticing the world around them, expressing gratitude, and letting go of worries.

This book presents mindfulness as a natural part of daily life rather than a separate activity. Children see how they can find peaceful moments while walking, playing, or even during busy times at school. This helps them understand that mindfulness isn't something that requires special equipment or settings, but is always available to them.

Price: $8.01 on Amazon, $15.99 on Barnes and Noble

5. Listening to My Body by Gabi Garcia

Listening to My Body is a book that teaches children the link between physical sensations and emotions. It teaches kids that their bodies are constantly giving them information about how they're feeling and what they might need.

Body awareness is a fundamental building block of mindfulness, and this book teaches it in a way that feels natural to children. Instead of trying to explain mindfulness as a general idea, it shows kids exactly what to pay attention to, such as the sensations, feelings, and signals coming from their own bodies.

Price: $14. 57 on Amazon, $18.99 on Barnes and Noble

6. The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

The Way I Feel by Janan Cain is a colorful, rhythm-driven picture book that helps young children identify and understand a variety of emotions. The book gives clear, expressive words for complex emotions and pairs them with imagery that helps children make the emotional connection.

This book serves as an excellent foundation for mindfulness by helping children develop emotional awareness, which is a key component of mindful living. Before kids can manage their emotions mindfully, they first need to be able to recognize and name what they're feeling.

Price: $7.64 on Amazon, $9.99 on Barnes and Noble

7. Moody Cow Meditates by Kerry Lee MacLean

This children's story introduces meditation and mindfulness through the adventures of Peter, a young boy who learns to manage his difficult emotions with help from his grandfather. When Peter has a particularly frustrating day filled with anger and disappointment, his wise grandfather teaches him how to use a "mind jar", a simple meditation tool, to help calm his turbulent feelings.

The "mind jar" concept gives children a concrete visual representation of how meditation works. Kids can also create their own mind jars at home to help them visualize how their chaotic feelings settle.

Price: $8.93 on Amazon, $16.95 on Barnes and Noble

8. Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing by Christopher Willard

Alphabreaths is an innovative children's book that combines learning the alphabet with mindfulness practice. The book presents creative breathing techniques that correspond to each letter.

For example, you might take big, alligator breaths, flutter your hands like butterfly wings as you inhale and exhale, or blow out slowly as if extinguishing birthday candles. Each exercise is designed to be fun, memorable, and easy for children to practice independently or with guidance from adults.

Price: $15.19 on Amazon, $18.99 on Barnes and Noble

9. The Lemonade Hurricane by Licia Morelli

This story follows Emma, a calm and thoughtful girl, and her younger brother Henry, who bursts with restless energy, like a hurricane. Emma decides to teach Henry how to slow down through mindfulness. She introduces him to simple techniques such as sitting quietly, breathing deeply, and noticing his surroundings.

The weather metaphor is powerful because it normalizes intense emotions while also showing children that they don't have to be overwhelmed by them. Kids learn that they can be the calm center of their own emotional hurricane.

Price: $9.95 on Amazon, $9.95 on Barnes and Noble

10. Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer

This book tells the story of Monkey, who is always busy thinking about other things while doing something, and Panda, who stays calm and focused on the present moment.

Many children will see themselves in Monkey, thinking of the next thing on their to-do list and overwhelmed by their own busy minds. Through their conversation, Panda gently teaches Monkey the value of being mindful and paying attention to what is happening right now without distraction.

Price: $16.41 on Amazon

Tips for Using These Books

These strategies will help you maximize the impact of mindfulness books and create lasting positive changes in your child's emotional health and daily routine.

Start young

Introducing mindfulness concepts early helps children develop these skills naturally as part of their emotional toolkit. Young children's natural curiosity and openness to new experiences make them particularly receptive to mindfulness practices.

Starting early also means these techniques become second nature rather than something children need to learn during stressful situations.

Be interactive

Passive reading won't build mindfulness skills; active engagement does. Read together and make it a shared experience.

Ask open-ended questions like, “How do you think the character felt when they tried that breathing exercise?” or “What would you do in that situation?” Encourage them to talk about how the exercises make them feel.

Make it daily

Mindfulness works best when it’s part of everyday life. Set aside a regular time, maybe ten minutes before bed or during the morning routine. You could even create a cozy mindfulness corner with these books, soft cushions, and calming music.

The more often kids practice, the more natural it becomes for them to use these skills when challenges come up at school or with friends.

The Bottom Line

These mindfulness books give kids simple, powerful tools to handle life with more calm, focus, and confidence. By making them part of your child’s routine, you’re helping them build skills they’ll use for years to come.

Mindfulness takes time to develop, so be patient and celebrate the small wins along the way. If you’re looking for additional resources, check out our mindfulness worksheets and handouts.

References:

• Indriaswuri, Retno & Gading, I Ketut & Suranata, Kadek & Suarni, Ni. (2023). Mindfulness and Academic Performance: A Literature Review. Migration Letters. 20. 341-358. 10.59670/ml.v20i9.6087.
• Sop, Aylin & Hançer, Buse. (2024). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Practices on Children's Self-Regulation: A Review on Early Childhood Research. HAYEF Journal of Education. 21. 66-73. 10.5152/hayef.2024.23021.