A mindfulness book written to help children remember how powerful they are through a story about a young girl who struggles with feeling small and then changes the way she sees herself through practicing mindfulness.
Part of the story was written as a word-for-word guided script to support an at-home mindfulness practice. Jennifer has recorded a companion mindfulness audio for children that goes along with the book as a complimentary gift.
My Big Heart is a story of young girl who feels small, both physically and emotionally, and learns to overcome it by realizing the bigness and power of her own heart. While children face limitations because of their physical size, the story can also subtly speak to feeling small when it comes to low self-confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem. The main character experiences a change of heart in how she sees herself and the world through mindfulness and re-connecting to her own heart.
“I wish I was big enough to hug the moon. I wish I was big enough to kiss the sun. I wish I was big enough to catch a flying comet.”
For more than 25 years, the HeartMath Institute has been researching the heart-brain connection and learning how the heart influences our perceptions, emotions, intuition, and health. They determined that the heart is the most important organ in the body. The heart sends five hundred times more information to the brain than the brain does to the heart.
After meditation and focusing specifically on the heart and sending love to others with a pure intention, the photons increased to 100,000! A higher photon count means that there is more light and coherence in the body which could mean greater health, along with many other benefits. Some people have even reported that being in this state has helped heal diseases and change negative things that are happening in their lives.
Some of this science has been weaved into My Big Heart so that children can learn the impact and power that their heart truly does have!
“It doesn’t matter if you are big or small. It doesn’t matter if you are short or tall. Love is BIG and love is inside of us all.”
Whether you are a teacher or a parent, sharing the gift of mindfulness at home or in the classroom has great value including improved self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-regulation.
While some may believe childhood is a carefree time, that is simply not true. Children experience many fears and challenges: fear of the dark, fear of monsters, fear of abandonment, fear of the future, fear of not being good enough, fear of being punished, fear of not belonging, etc.
Children are sponges to the world around them and without the proper tools, it can have a negative impact on their overall wellbeing. It’s critical that we support children in learning healthy ways to process what they are experiencing so it doesn’t negatively impact them for the rest of their lives.
Children are often more stressed than their parents or teachers even realize. In one study, one in five children said they worried a lot about things going on in their lives, and more than 30 percent admitted to stress-related symptoms including difficulty sleeping, according to the American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America report. Yet, the same report found that only 8 percent of parents were aware that their children experienced any stress at all.
It is vital that we provide tools to support children in navigating life’s stresses. By training children to focus on one thought, sound, or breath at a time, they are learning how to stay present in each moment. In this safe space, they can more easily learn to navigate their feelings, and fears. Mindfulness can bring children back to a place where they have power and control over their lives.
Mindfulness can help balance the whole system by supporting emotional development and allowing them to rest their mind, so they are not so overwhelmed by their strong feelings.
Researchers at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center implemented a meditation program with preschool students and found that meditation increased the children’s memory as well as their ability to plan and organize.
Other studies have demonstrated the ability of mindfulness techniques, especially those used in meditation, yoga, and tai chi, to reduce impulsiveness, control emotions and ease stress.
, Get along better with others
, Improved focus
, Support healthy emotional development
, Easily fall asleep when practiced before bed
, Less reactive or aggressive
, Calmer
, Happier
, More comfortable in the body
, Strengthen immune system
, Inner stability and security when reaching teenage years
, Strengthens self-acceptance
, Builds confidence
, Better able to deal with peer pressure and bullying
As a lover of all things glitter, magic, fairies, and mermaids, Jennifer Fae was born to be a children’s book writer. She has a strong desire to share her passion of writing in a way that helps positively impact future generations. Her intention is to give children and families tools to help self regulate, and never forget their true nature which is love. She feels deeply called to expose young minds to stories that support them in navigating life with more confidence, self-acceptance, and ease.
With over 10 years of experience in the field of education, she has worked at a cutting-edge practicum site for UCLA’s early childhood extension program that practiced a mindful, whole-child approach. As a classroom teacher, she led daily mindfulness classes for kiddos from pre-school through second grade. She has worked in the social emotional learning and leadership space within education serving school districts across the US. She is also a certified coach, and energy healer.
