Peacefully Piggy Meditation

Don't be put off by the "piggies" (I was, initially). This is actually a really good book on meditation. If you want to teach your young (under 8) child/ren to meditate (or understand the idea behind meditation) this is absolutely perfect. It is also a good book on meditation generally; it keeps it simple. I think even adults can learn something from this book.

My eight year old learned to meditate using this book. And whenever he feels the stress rising within him he now knows to go take a break and find his "peaceful piggie". We also use the phrase "peaceful piggie" as a reminder phrase to relax. I recommend this book for kids as young as 3 all the way up to pre-teens that like to have things explained using cute characters. It is a great starting meditation book for children, and will give adults a great way to introduce the concept of meditation and calmness in a hurried world to their children.

A joy to read. Introduces the idea of taking a bit of time out of our day to mediatate in a sweet and loving way for kids.

While the story is not actually a meditation it is a great introduction for children to understand why....they should meditate. Simple text and adorable illustrations explain and show that "When you're peaceful, you can be truly fearless!" This book can definitely motivate young children to want to try and meditate. I also recommend the "Indigo Dreams Series" to move your children into meditation after being motivated by the peaceful piggies to try it. Great way to introduce a complicated concept.

This is an excellent introductory book on meditation that we recently used with great success to teach children to meditate at a Buddhist summer camp. The theme of the book was just about right for kids aged 4-9. I did not find the material "dumbed down" for this age group as a previous reviewer suggested, but perhaps older children might find it to be so. The piggies are cute and kind of cool (I liked them!). The book guides children through the reasons why meditation is necessary, and believe me when I say it is the best book on the market for doing so (I looked around extensively). Especially good is the "mind-in-a-jar" experiment at the end of the book which gives a concrete, hands-on demonstration of why meditation is necessary. We placed dirt into a jar, spun it around, and the kids noticed how the sediment settled to the bottom after they meditated. A note, however: a little dirt goes a long way - don't put too much in or the experiment won't be as successful. Some practical notes: it is best if this book is taught by someone who is experienced in meditation, as is the case with all meditative traditions. Furthermore, most children can't really meditate effectively for more than five or ten minutes due to modern attention spans. Just like adults, some children can meditate in full-lotus, some in half-lotus, and some can't do either. Especially if teaching in a group, care needs to be given to all three groups and children should be allowed to do what is comfortable. Finally, instruction is needed on the importance of giving ourselves some time to "switch modes" from meditation-mode to running-around-and-playing-mode in order to adjust. If children just get up and run around one second after meditating, the sudden switch between sympathetic and parasympathetic systems may cause some discomfort. Overall, I believe this is a "must-have" book for anyone who wants to teach meditation to children aged 4-9, but as with any meditation book, this is best taught by an experienced meditator.