Mindful Me: Get Outdoors by Paul Christelis (author) and Elisa Paganelli (illustrator) (UK edition)

This mindfulness story book for children will help improve attention spans and observation skills. Simple mindfulness activities are interspersed throughout the story.

Mindfulness techniques have been shown to help relieve stress and anxiety and improve health and mental well-being.

It’s Saturday morning and Jada and her brother Michael are watching TV. It’s a beautiful day and Dad wants to get them outside so he invents ‘The Garden Game’. Whoever notices the most interesting things is the winner. At first, they can’t see anything. Just grass and flowers. But by looking slowly, more closely, and using all of their senses, they soon begin to notice lots of fascinating things. Small things they would not have noticed before seem so much bigger and interesting. And finally, their sense of smell leads them to the prize!

The story shows how the children use mindfulness – the ability to pay attention to the present moment with curiosity – to help them pay attention in everyday life. Mindfulness practices (exercises) are integrated into each story, and expanded on in the ‘Notes to Parents and Teachers’ section at the end of the books. Readers are invited to PAUSE at various points in the story to notice their own present moment experience.

The four stories in the Mindful Me series explore how a mindful attitude to life can enhance enjoyment, promote a sense of calm and confidence, and provide young people with a ‘friend for life’. The books can be used at home or in the classroom, for storytime or as part of the PSHCE curriculum.

The other titles are: Breath by Breath: A Mindfulness Guide to Keeping Calm Exploring Emotions: A Mindfulness Guide to Dealing with Emotions Sleep Easy: A Mindfulness Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep