About the Holiday

National Stress Awareness Day was established by Carole Spiers, Chair of the International Stress Management Association, which provides employers with guidance on establishing company stress reduction programs and individuals with methods for looking after their health every day. The holiday aims to help people identify the stress factors in their life and learn how to reduce them. This year, of course, stress is high. Today’s holiday gives people an opportunity to assess how they and their family are handling stress and look for ways to manage it while adding positive changes to their life.

Thank you to Beaming Books for sending me copies of All About Anxiety and Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids for review consideration. All opinions about the books are my own.

All About Anxiety

Written by Carrie Lewis | Illustrated by Sophia Touliatou

As you pick up this book, the first thing you notice is its comforting, velvety-soft cover. Upon opening it, the second thing young readers will see are illustrations of kids just like them engaged in familiar situations that can cause stress and anxiety and expressing their feelings in ways kids will recognize and understand. And then comes the third, most reassuring thing of all—discussions about anxiety: the different types, how it can manifest itself, and how it can be managed, written in kid-friendly, clear, and detailed ways by an author who really knows how to communicate with children.

In five chapters, this 89-page book covers a wide range of topics that answer the questions children may have about the feelings they experience every day or only in certain situations and give them encouragement and workable solutions to try. Chapter 1 introduces a definition of anxiety, describes six of the most commonly felt types of anxiety, and, through a relatable story of two sisters grappling with different anxieties, demonstrates how a fear can grow and how it can be lessened.

Chapter 2 talks about some of the things that can cause anxiety—from memories of frightening experiences and seeing others’ reactions to certain things to parents and brain chemical imbalances to growing up in difficult circumstances. Each of these, as well as a description of how the body reacts to anxiety, is treated with detailed and easy-to-understand paragraphs that contain examples kids will appreciate.

Chapter 3 likens anxiety to the various types of animals in a zoo and the child as the zookeeper. This chapter is especially effective in directly addressing some of the most common anxiety triggers and providing practical steps that will help. These include the news; stories, TV shows, and movies; hormones; changes within the family; money worries; moving; the pressure to succeed; comparing oneself to others; the way one looks; other people; peer pressure; and social media.

Image copyright Sophia Touliatou, 2020, text copyright Carrie Lewis. Courtesy of Beaming Books.

In Chapter 4, children are encouraged to answer several questions that can determine if they actually have anxiety or not. In the next step, readers learn how anxiety can affect the quality of their life and relationships with family and friends. Here Carrie Lewis presents discussions on social anxiety, family relationships, school and studying, sports and hobbies, and overall health. Speaking directly to the reader, Lewis uses specific examples of ways anxiety may affect them. Moreover, with each topic, Lewis provides bulleted suggestions for activities that can boost self-esteem, release healthy endorphins, and change their focus.

Chapter 5 is a “taking-control toolkit” where Lewis explores “different ways to make life less anxious and to keep serious anxiety away.” These include deep breathing, visualization, body relaxation exercises, talking with a trusted adult or doctor, how to talk about anxiety, using mild anxiety as a superpower, and ways to stay positive. Lewis closes her book with six resources, complete with contact information, where young readers and adults can find help and more information.

Reading through this book by Carrie Lewis is like sitting down with a sympathetic, knowledgeable friend who can put you at ease and give you the help you’re looking for. That sense of being understood is just one of the many strengths of this book. Conversational text and an unflinching look at the real-world issues that can cause anxiety will resonate with children, tweens, and even teens and put them on the road to managing their feelings.

On every page the text wraps around Sophia Touliatou’s vibrant and evocative illustrations that let kids know they’re not alone. Images mirror feelings of fear and anxiety, depict brain activity related to feelings of anxiety, and show difficult situations all children deal with at one time or another. But Touliatou also includes many images of children finding ways to manage and overcome their anxiety that offer hope and happiness. In design, the book makes excellent use of typography and other elements to make topics easy to find and appeal to the targeted audience.

A superb book for helping children and tweens with anxiety or just navigating day-to-day feelings, All About Anxiety is a must for home, school, and public libraries.

Ages 8 – 13

Beaming Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-1506463209

You can find All About Anxiety at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids

Written by Megan Borgert-Spaniol and Lauren Kukla | Illustrated by Aruna Rangarajan

One way to take control of your feelings is by finding an activity that calms the mind, changes your focus, uses your talents, or helps you reach out to others. That’s what Crafting Calm is all about. Through five chapters Megan Borgert-Spaniol and Lauren Kukla show readers how they can use various arts, movement, breathing, their senses, and their sense of self to be calmer and happier.

Each chapter focuses on a particular topic. Chapter 1: Catch Your Calm helps children gain control of their thoughts or behavior with crafts such as making a glitter jar and a Zen garden, kneading homemade bread, and doing an easy yoga exercise. A short parable demonstrates the power of perspective, and other activities give readers a variety of options. Chapter 2: Examining Emotions contains activities that allow a child to better understand their emotions and how they physically react to them. Doing a body scan, making mood art, learning to walk with confidence, and creating an emotional support plant are just a few of the activities presented.

Chapter 3: Being Here and Experiencing Now provides methods to support the important idea of staying present in every moment. Mindful walking, engaging all your senses, slowing down to fully enjoy a snack, making a terrarium, learning how to neutralize noise, are some of the activities described here. Chapter 4 is designed to help readers observe their thoughts and “gain skills to better control what goes on in your mind while still allowing space for it to wander and dream.” A “mind dump” can help you get your thoughts and emotions out of your head and onto paper without judgement. Daily affirmations can help readers to embrace their good qualities and become the person they want to be. These and the other provided activities can bring much-needed peace.

Image copyright Aruna Rangarajan, 2020, text copyright Megan Borgert-Spaniol and Lauren Kukla, 2020. Courtesy of Beaming Books.

Chapter 5: Capturing Joy and Growing Gratitude gives readers the tools to find “inner joy during tough times and appreciate things [they] may have taken for granted.” These emotional resources can help readers “navigate life’s ups and downs with positivity.” Origami can help turn paper into a colorful gratitude garden of flowers that each represent something you’re thankful for. If you’re feeling alone, you can use the instructions here to create a Tree of Belonging to show you how many people love and care for you. Bringing joy and sharing gratitude with others takes the focus off of yourself and gives you purpose. Here you’ll find ideas for doing both of these things.

In a casual, light, and conversational style Megan Borgert-Spaniol and Lauren Kukla address many of the feelings and intrusive thoughts that can roil the mind and make inner peace hard to find. Readers will recognize and appreciate the straightforward examples and reassurance presented in the introduction to each chapter. Along with directions on how to complete the activities, Borgert-Spaniol and Kukla include how each activity can help bring about a more calm and positive attitude. The activities included are easy to do and don’t require special supplies, making them excellent go-tos for times when tranquility is needed.

Accompanying each activity are Aruna Rangarajan’s engaging illustrations, rendered in soothing colors, that demonstrate techniques and instructions while also adding whimsical touches that make every page inviting.

A wonderful, comprehensive guide not only to activities that can really make a difference in the life of any child, especially those disruptive feelings, but to the hows and whys inherent in them, Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids is highly recommended for family, school, and public library bookshelves.

Ages 8 – 12

Beaming Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-1506465265

You can find Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids at these booksellers

Amazon | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

National Stress Awareness Day Activity

Snowy Day Mind Jar

You can capture the beauty of a glittering snowfall in this easy craft—that also makes a special gift for a friend!

Supplies

• Small to medium mason jar or other decorative jar with a tight lid
• White glitter glue,
• Light blue glitter glue,
• Fine white and/or blue glitter
• Large white and/or blue glitter
• Warm water

Directions

1.For every 1/2 cup of warm water add:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons white glitter glue
• 1/2 teaspoon blue glitter glue
• 2 teaspoons fine glitter glue
• 1/2 teaspoon large glitter

2. Close lid tight

3. Shake

4. As glue dissolves, the liquid will become clearer and the glitter will remain suspended in it