The Children’s Book Review | October 9, 2018
Co-authors Carole P. Roman and J. Robin Albertson Wren discuss Mindfulness for Kids: 30 Fun Activities to Stay Calm, Happy, and In Control. Their new book introduces the valuable concept of mindfulness with ease. It is a meaningful and actionable resource that encourages self-awareness, kindness, and compassion in ways that children can easily relate. Highly recommended as a reassuring guide perfect for navigating the hardships of today’s busy lifestyle and for anyone ready to read his or her way to serenity!
Carole P. Roman Asks J. Robin Albertson Wren:
Is this your first book?
Yes, Mindfulness for Kids is my first published book for children.
When we were first introduced, you expressed you had a busy schedule. What are some of the hats you wear?
I teach full-time, working every morning with little ones in the preschool at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Virginia. I teach Mindfulness in Life Skills to 7th and 8th graders and work part time for the University of Virginia Contemplative Sciences Center as a mindfulness instructor. I offer private sessions to families and individuals, lead workshops and speak at conferences. I also have two children of my own.
This is my third book written with a co-author. I love doing projects with another writer. How did you find the experience?
It has been marvelous collaborating with you on Mindfulness for Kids. I love how we were able to stay in touch and bounce ideas off each other throughout the process. I believe the book will “speak” to a broad audience, because it was developed from a variety of perspectives.
What was the hardest part to write?
Our timeline was very short, so the hardest part for me was setting aside the time to write. My family, however, was super supportive, and made dinner and helped me rearrange our home office space so I could sequester myself away to write.
It says you are certified in Mindfulness. Can you explain what the process of certification means?
I have taken 3 levels of training through Mindful Schools, which is located in California, but offers wonderful, online training for people across the globe. My 3rd level of training was my commitment to a 1-year, intense certification program with 100 other people from around the world. We began with a week-long retreat at the Garrison Institute in New York, which included 2 ½ days of silence (stories for another time) and then we participated in on-line work for a year, researching, studying, reading, reflecting and meeting through “Zoom,” which is like Facetime for 100 people. We then culminated with another week-long retreat the following summer.
You have such a busy life. I know why I agreed to do this book: As the grandmother of four grandchildren, I think we need to spend time working on Mindfulness. Why did you take on this project?
I LOVE sharing what I’ve learned, teaching skills that help people to manage stress and anxiety, build compassion and develop resiliency. My dream is to teach mindfulness all the time, to everybody, everywhere, so creating a book for kids and their caregivers is one step in that direction.
Mindfulness practice has helped me feel more grounded as a parent, teacher, spouse, daughter, friend. The more people are able to tap into their own awareness and develop tools to handle emotions, thoughts, and physical discomfort, the better our sense of well-being. I would love to play an active role in teaching others how to live life to the fullest, to embrace whatever life throws at us and to connect more with one another and with what is happening right now, in the present moment.
I loved the way they set up the book, with my fictional stories to put the children in situations they can identify their feelings. Was it your idea to have the responses and solutions provided by children, or was that the publisher? What did you think of the method?
I thought it was important for the kids to be taught by other kids. At first I imagine having one mindfulness-kid sharing ideas, but that would be unrealistic to have one child with 30 different mindfulness tools to suggest, so I created 5. I love that they have different “voices” and techniques for dealing with different situations.
What subject would you like to see tackled next in a book?
Mindfulness for Teens!
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Mindfulness for Kids:30 Fun Activities to Stay Calm, Happy, and In Control
Written by Carole P. Roman and J. Robin Albertson Wren
Publisher’s Synopsis: Mindfulness for Kids offers fun activities for kids ages 6-12 to stay cool, happy, and present with mindfulness.
Homework horrors, chores, and not-so-friendly friends―that’s enough to make any kid’s brain hurt. The secret to staying cool is easy: it’s called mindfulness―and this book gives kids fun activities to practice it on their own.
Mindfulness for Kids applies mindfulness exercises to stories and real-life scenarios that kids go through at home, school, and with friends. Shared through the voices of five children: Jasmine, Willow, Kayli, Colby, and Zeke, Mindfulness for Kids is an engaging, kid-friendly guide for handling tough situations and powerful emotions mindfully.
From using belly breathing to help with panic before a presentation to actively listening to siblings, Mindfulness for Kids addresses the everyday challenges that kids face with:
- Mindfulness 101 that teaches kids what mindfulness is, and how they can be mindful of their emotions and senses.
- Relatable, real-life scenarios that kids encounter at home, school, and with friends.
- 30 Fun exercises that show kids how tricks like a gratitude list, “counting to calm”, and even yoga poses can help them relax and feel better from not-so-nice feelings.
Mindfulness is a kind of superpower we all have but don’t know how to use. In this book, kids will learn how to use this power to feel good about themselves and the world around them through activities and stories told by kids, for kids.
Ages 6-10 | Publisher: Althea Press | November 13, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1641520850
Available Here:
About the Authors
CAROLE P. ROMAN is the award-winning author of over fifty children’s books. Whether it’s pirates, princesses, or discovering the world around us, her books have enchanted educators, parents, and her diverse audience of children. She writes both fiction and nonfiction from verse to chapter books in all age groups. She hosts three blog radio programs and is one of the founders of a new magazine, Indie Author’s Monthly. She’s been interviewed twice by Forbes Magazine. Carole has co-authored a self-help book, Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing as well as an adult fiction book under the pen name Brit Lunden. She lives on Long Island.
Her series include:
If You Were Me and Lived in– Cultural
If You Were Me and Lived in– Historical
Oh Susannah– Early Reader Chapter Books
Navigating Indieworld– with co-author Julie A. Gerber
Bulwark under pen name Brit Lunden
You can learn more about Carole P. Roman by visiting her blog! http://caroleproman.blogspot.com/ OR www.caroleproman.com
J. ROBIN ALBERTSON-WREN has been teaching elementary age children for over 20 years in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is a classroom teacher, workshop leader, author and public speaker. Her passion is teaching mindfulness techniques to executives, educators, parents, adolescents and children. She has presented “Mindfulness in Schools – Educating and Empowering Our Children” to many local, statewide and national audiences.
She has received her mindfulness training through Mindful Schools, and is currently participating in a year-long certification course with 100 other people across the globe.
She became interested in the idea of mindfulness in 2010, when she attended her first Mindfulness in Education conference at American University in Washington D.C.
“I wanted to explore ways that children and teachers could learn to focus their bodies and minds in order to get the most out of an academic setting,” Albertson-Wren commented.
Mindfulness practice allows for greater concentration, productivity, resiliency, self-control and sense of happiness.
“We should be offering this type of training to everyone,” she believes.
Mindfulness for Kids is her first book.
You can learn more about her and the work she does through her website: MindAwake: http://www.mind-awake.weebly.com/
This interview for Mindfulness for Kids:30 Fun Activities to Stay Calm, Happy, and In Control was conducted between Carole P. Roman and J. Robin Albertson Wren. For similar books and articles, follow along with our content tagged with Activity Books, Carole P. Roman, Happiness, Mindfulness, and Non-Fiction.
