Awakening Joy for Kids

“This beautiful book goes straight to the heart, so rich with simple, powerful, practical things that children and adults can do to grow real and lasting resilience, compassion, and joy inside themselves.”—Rick Hanson, PhD, Hardwiring Happiness and Just One Thing

“Awakening Joy for Kids is the new ‘go-to’ resource to help parents and teachers help children manage fears and worries and develop a deep inner wellspring of well-being. These lessons are fun, playful, practical, and easily adaptable for home and school. Well-organized and beautifully illustrated, Awakening Joy for Kids is ‘kid-tested,’ reader friendly, and life-changing. Highly recommended.”—Linda Graham, MFT, Bouncing Back

“Awakening Joy For Kids is a treasure trove filled with creative, wise, accessible, and engaging practices, that’ll nourish you and the children in your life. Don't wait; start practicing now!”

—Dawn Scott, Family Program Coordinator, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California

“Chock full of easy and practical suggestions for finding joy — and peace! — as a teacher or parent, and for helping children develop the skills they need for their own happiness. James Baraz is one the most important and inspirational happiness teachers alive today; if you have children or work with them, don’t miss this terrific collaboration with master teacher Michele Lilyanna.”—Dr. Christine Carter, Raising Happiness and The Sweet Spot, Senior Fellow, Greater Good Science Center

“At once inspiring, practical, doable, and fun, Awakening Joy for Kids is for children and adults alike, making quality-of-life the highest priority. This book supports the development of the whole human being and is a much-needed addition to our curriculum for educating children in this world.”—Robert Gonzales, PhD, Co-Founder of the Nonviolent Training Institute, Past President of the Board of Directors of the Center for Nonviolent Communication

“Weaving together the discoveries of contemporary science with the real needs of children in classrooms and beyond, the authors have gifted adults everywhere a treasured resource. Central to the message is that all human beings have light, and we adults have a profoundly important role in ensuring we nurture an awakening of joy so that each child can grow and be all they were intended to be. I love this book!”—Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, Discipline Without Damage

“This book is a wonderful treasure trove for all adults who live or work with children! It will not only bring joy but also harmony, well-being, mindfulness, and compassion into families and help give them a solid ground to cope with the challenges of the life they will grow into.”—Lienhard Valentin, Founder/Director of Germany’s Not-For-Profit Growing with Children (Mit Kindern Wachsen)

“Fresh. Friendly. Fantastic. Finally. In this era of testing and achievement, Michele and James give delightfully practical form and direction to educators, parents, and all of us humans who care about equipping our children (and ourselves) to lead joyful, resilient lives. Simple and profound, Awakening Joy for Kids is an inoculation against the maladies of fear and hopelessness that come when we lose track of our inherent playfulness, creativity and wisdom. An easy, accessible reference that I will generously recommend.”—Ann McKnight, LMSW, ACSW, Clinical Social Worker/Psychotherapist, TEDx talk on Restorative Circles

“Grounded in ancient wisdom and robust contemporary science, Awakening Joy for Kids is a compendium of imaginative resources and practical activities that have clearly been tried and tested in homes and classrooms. Teachers, parents, and children themselves can have confidence that what is offered here has the power to transform individuals, families, and school communities.”—Chris Cullen, Co-Founder of the UK Mindfulness in Schools Project, Insight Meditation teacher at University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre

“The lessons throughout Awakening Joy for Kids are timely as well as timeless. Knowing what brings true happiness, ease, and well-being is an important wisdom to be passed on to next generations but how to do so is not always clear. Awakening Joy for Kids has gifted parents and educators with a fun and accessible guide to teach our kids the social and emotion skills they need to live fuller, well-rounded lives. “—Kate Munding, Founder, Heart-Mind Education

“A treasure-trove of ideas to appeal to all styles of learner, this resource will help parents and teachers support children everywhere to ‘enjoy being who they are and let their natural joy shine through’. In an environment of increased anxiety and mental unrest in children, this is a much-needed offering.”—Kellie Edwards, Psychologist, Mindfulness4Mothers, Australia

“What a gem of a resource, offering an incredible weaving of contemplative wisdom and neuroscience into fun, easy-to-do, children-tested activities. These nourishing activities will equip our children with the much needed qualities of resilience, empathy, compassion and happiness.”—Diana Robertson, Awakening Joy Facilitator, New Zealand

“As a mother of four, I am inspired to create family habits to include the exercises in Awakening Joy for Kids into our lives because of the depth of meaning they carry. It is such a bonus that they are really doable for the busiest of families. They are so much fun to do, which will help all of us make this a way of being, not just a passing fad.”—Karen O’Connell, M.S.

“With the ever-increasing demands of daily life, we rarely just stop for a minute and be present in the ‘here’ and ‘now’. Awakening Joy for Kids provides an easy to follow, step-by-step guide for bringing mindfulness to the lives of children and even adults. It encourages children to appreciate the small things in life and to cultivate the skills necessary to deal with everyday stressors. It fosters a sense of self-awareness, empowerment, and compassion; skills that form the core of emotionally intelligent, socially conscious children. Providing a synergy of real life experiences coupled with scientifically proven strategies, Awakening Joy for Kids is nothing short of amazing! A great resource for parents, teachers and anyone looking to bring mindfulness practices into their lives.”—Amanda Fernandes, Caribbean Regional Director, Project Happiness, Trinidad