This year has caused anxiety for many of us. With so much uncertainty, a lot of us are feeling concerned about the impact this may have on our kids. If we feel uneasy and stressed from this year, how are our children currently coping with these feelings? The importance of checking in with your child to talk about their feelings is crucial in helping them process their feelings that feel uncomfortable- like anxiety. Listed below are some books your child can turn to when feeling anxious, arranged by age group.
1. Ruby Finds a Worry | Ages 3-6
Summary: Meet Ruby - a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a worry. It's not such a big worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger...and a little bigger...until eventually, the worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about. This perceptive and poignant story is the perfect springboard for talking to children about emotional intelligence and sharing hidden anxieties. Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
2. Listening to my Body | Ages 3-6
Summary: Big emotions can be overwhelming! Help your child build on their capacity to engage more mindfully, self-regulate, and develop emotional resilience. Easy, kid-friendly mindfulness activities are woven throughout to reinforce the teachings. Listening to My Body by Gabi Garcia
3. When Worry Takes Hold | Ages 4-8
Summary: One night just before the lights went out, Worry snuck into Maya's mind. Worry grew bigger and bigger until there was no space left for anything else. Just darkness and fear. Join Maya as she finds Courage, through the form of a calming breath, and learns how to break free from Worry's hold. When Worry Takes Hold by Liz Haske
4. Find Your Calm: A Mindful Approach to Relieve Anxiety and Grow Your Bravery | Ages 4-8
Summary: Find Your Calm is a wonderfully accessible book that teaches children how to tap into their sense of safety when anxiety sends a false alarm, so they can find their calm. Includes simple activities for them to practice.
Find Your Calm: A Mindful Approach to Relieve Anxiety and Grow Your Bravery by Gabi Garcia
5. Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere | Ages 4-8
Summary: Breathe Like a Bear is a beautifully illustrated collection of mindfulness exercises designed to teach kids techniques for managing their bodies, breath, and emotions. Best of all, these 30 simple, short breathing practices and movements can be performed anytime, anywhere: in the car to the grocery store, during heavy homework nights at home, or even at a child’s desk at school.
6. B is for Breathe: The ABCs of Coping with Fussy and Frustrating Feelings | Ages 4-10
Summary: From the letter A to the letter Z, B is for Breathe celebrates the many ways children can express their feelings and develop coping skills at an early age. Fun, cute, and exciting illustrations, this colorful book teaches kids simple ways to cope with fussy and frustrating emotions. This book will inspire kids to discuss their feelings, show positive behaviors, and practice calm down strategies. B is for Breathe: The ABCs of Coping with Fussy & Frustrating Feelings by Melissa Munro Boyd
7. What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety | Ages 6-12
Summary: What to Do When You Worry Too Much guides children and parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of anxiety. Lively metaphors and humorous illustrations make the concepts and strategies easy to understand, while clear how-to steps and prompts to draw and write help children to master new skills related to reducing anxiety. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering kids to overcome their overgrown worries. What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner
8. Outsmarting Worry (An Older Kid's Guide to Managing Anxiety) | Ages 9-12
Summary: Outsmarting Worry teaches kids and the adults who care about them a specific set of skills that makes it easier to face - and overcome - worries and fears. Smart, practical, proven techniques are presented in language immediately accessible to children with an emphasis on shifting from knowing to doing, from worried to happy and free.
Outsmarting Worry (An Older Kid's Guide to Managing Anxiety) by Dawn Huebner
We hope you enjoy the books listed above. Let us know some of your favorite children’s books down below in the comments!