Ages 6-8
Books for Anxious Kids
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Angry Octopus: A Relaxation Story
by Lori Lite
Children love to unwind and relax with this fun exercise known as muscular relaxation. This effective stress and anger management technique focuses awareness on various muscle groups to create a complete resting of the mind and body. It can be used to decrease pain and anger. This engaging story quiets the mind and relaxes the body so your child can let go of anger and fall asleep peacefully.
Anxiety
by Czeena Devera
Learn how to recognize and understand when you're feeling anxious. Practice coping techniques to help you balance your thoughts. This book complements any social-emotional curriculum to help early readers grow their emotional intelligence. Simple sentences help develop word recognition and improve reading skills.
Calm: Mindfulness for Kids
by Wynne Kinder
Shares mindfulness activities that teach children how to focus their thoughts and pay attention, with care, to one moment at a time, including breathing exercises, moving the body to unwind stress, and taking a walk in the woods.
Feeling Afraid
by Kirsty Holmes
Learn to handle complex feelings of fear and anxiety in a healthy way with Agent Afraid who demonstrates fearful emotions.
If You Come to Earth
by Sophie Blackall
This stunning book is inspired by the thousands of children Sophie Blackall has met during her travels around the world in support of UNICEF and Save the Children. A glorious guide to our home planet, and a call for us to take care of both Earth and each other.
Ladybird's Remarkable Relaxation
by Michael Chissick
Teaches an effective yoga relaxation technique that can be used anywhere and anytime to deal with a problem. Little Ladybird flutters from big toe to knee to thumb and onwards around the body, showing children how to focus their attention and calm their thoughts.
Love
by Matt de la Peña
From Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña comes a story about the strongest bond there is and the diverse and powerful ways it connects us all.
Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster
by Manka Kasha
Small Knight would rather go on adventures with their best friend, Tiny Bear, than learn to be a perfect princess, but worrying about telling their parents creates a dreadful monster.
The Breathing Book
by Christopher Willard
The child physically interacts with the book, balancing it on their stomach, blowing on the pages, tracing lines on the page with their fingers and so on. Throughout the book, they learn to become aware of their breath and to use it in connection with positive intentions, such as releasing worries and sending kind wishes to others.
The Cat on the Mat
by Bonnie Worth
Life is a juggling act that can often make us feel dizzy and dazed--kids included! Between school, homework, chores, after school activities, play dates, Zoom calls--you name it--keeping all those balls in the air can be taxing! But the Cat in the Hat has a solution to the madness. It's called mindfulness meditation, and in this simple, rhymed Cat in the Hat's Learning Library Book, he shows kids how to slow down and still their bodies and minds through simple breathing exercises and focused concentration.
There Might Be Lobsters
by Carolyn Crimi
A little dog's paralyzing anxiety gives way to bravery when someone smaller arrives in need during a whooshy, splashy, overwhelming day at the beach.
What Do You Do With a Problem?
by Kobi Yamada
What do you do with a problem? Especially one that follows you around and doesn't seem to be going away? Do you worry about it? Ignore it? Do you run and hide from it? This is the story of a persistent problem and the child who isn't so sure what to make of it. The longer the problem is avoided, the bigger it seems to get. But when the child finally musters up the courage to face it, the problem turns out to be something quite different than it appeared.
What If, Pig?
by Linzie Hunter
Pig is so incredibly kind and fabulously fun, but he also has a big secret--he's a tremendous worrier! When Pig gets the brilliant idea to throw a party for Mouse and their friends, he can't help but think of everything that could possibly go wrong. After all, what if a lion eats all the invitations? What if nobody comes? Or worse, what if everyone comes and has an awful time?
What's in Your Mind Today?
by Louise Bladen
This guided, illustrated meditation for kids offers a simple mindfulness practice, not to banish bad thoughts, but to feel calm in the midst of thoughts that come and go. Children will learn how to breathe and center themselves in their bodies, find different ways to think about their positive and negative thoughts, and ultimately learn that they have the ability to feel calm and at peace no matter what kinds of thoughts happen to be in their mind at any particular moment.
When Molly Drew Dogs
by Deborah Kerbel
A young girl, anxious about her new surroundings, finds that a pack of friendly dogs has moved into her mind. In an effort to allay their restlessness, the girl begins to draw them--everywhere. Her constant doodling and daydreaming worries her grandmother, teacher and tutor, who want the girl to focus on her schoolwork. But the dogs bring the girl comfort--and they maybe even come to her rescue one night after she gets lost and hides in a neighbour's shed! Touching on issues of anxiety, this is a touching story about overcoming fear with the help of inner strength and the power of imagination. Inspired by a Japanese folktale called The Boy Who Drew Cats.
Updated 01/10/2022