Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens

Packed with creative, effective ideas for bringing mindfulness into the classroom, child therapy office, or community, this book features sample lesson plans and scripts, case studies, vignettes, and more. Leading experts describe how to harness the unique benefits of present-focused awareness for preschoolers, school-age kids, and teens, including at-risk youth and those with special needs. Strategies for overcoming common obstacles and engaging kids with different learning styles are explored. Chapters also share ways to incorporate mindfulness into a broad range of children's activities, such as movement, sports, music, games, writing, and art. Giving clinicians and educators practices they can use immediately, the book includes clear explanations of relevant research findings.

Christopher Willard, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and educational consultant based in Boston, with a specialty in mindfulness and self-compassion. He speaks on the topic of mindfulness and meditation with young people nationally and internationally, and holds teaching appointments at Lesley University and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Willard is on the board of directors of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and the Mindfulness in Education Network. He has been practicing sitting meditation since 1999. He is the author of Child's Mind: Mindfulness Practices to Help Our Children Be More Focused, Calm, and Relaxed;The Mindfulness and Anxiety Workbook for Teens, and the forthcoming Growing Up Mindful. His website iswww.drchristopherwillard.com.

Amy Saltzman, MD, is a holistic physician and mindfulness coach whose passion is supporting people of all ages in enhancing their well-being and discovering the Still Quiet Place within. She is recognized by her peers as a visionary and pioneer in the fields of holistic medicine and mindfulness for youth, and her current work focuses on sharing mindfulness with school-age youth in socioeconomically diverse school and community settings. In collaboration with the Department of Psychology at Stanford University, she has conducted two research studies evaluating the benefits of teaching mindfulness to child–parent pairs and to children in low-income elementary schools. To support others in discovering the joy and peace of the Still Quiet Place, Dr. Saltzman has written the book A Still Quiet Place: A Mindfulness Program for Teaching Children and Adolescents to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions and created two CDs,Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Young Children and Still Quiet Place: Mindfulness for Teens. Her website iswww.stillquietplace.com.