Board Books on Wellness for Kids Ages 0 – 2
by Keith Rice
Conveying healthy life habits to our children can sometimes feel like a daunting task. We all want to put our babies on a path that will not only make for happy, healthy, and content children, but also lead to happy and healthy adults. Inspiring wellness in our little ones can be as fun as it is informative, though. Whether encouraging mindfulness, helping our toddlers recognize and understand their feelings, or fostering good sleep habits, there are plenty of fun and often hilarious books to light the way.
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Meddy Teddy: Mindful Poses for Little Yogis
Available from:Introduce your toddler to the wonderful world of yoga with this board book featuring an adorable poseable bear named Meddy Teddy. Use the photos to learn poses designed to help you and your little one breathe deeply and relax.
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Duck & Goose, How Are You Feeling?
Available from:Young children love the charming characters in the Duck & Goos board book series. Using spare text and adorable illustrations, the animals explain emotions to young readers in a way that they can understand. If your child likes this title, they’ll also enjoy Duck & Goose, Goose Needs a Hug.
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Feelings with Blue (Blue’s Clues & You)
Available from:Blue’s Clues is one of the most popular TV shows for young children, and they’ll love reading this book about emotions. With interactive elements and familiar characters your child adores, this sturdy board book will become a storytime favorite.
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You Are a Lion!
Available from:This delightfully rendered board book is a perfect way to introduce your little ball of energy to the all the fun, focus, and relaxation that yoga has to offer. Featuring simple, clear instructions and bright, playful art, You Are a Lion! will help you guide your child through an animal-themed routine designed to promote flexibility, focus, and imaginative play.
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Mindfulness Moments for Kids: Listen Like an Elephant
Available from:Any toddler parent can tell you that one of biggest challenges is helping these bundles of seemingly boundless energy slow down and be mindful of the world going on around them. As part of Kira Willey’s Mindfulness Moments for Kids series, Listen Like an Elephant is a fun and unique way to help your child begin to create the building blocks of mindfulness – in this case, the ability to listen and focus on not only our own bodies and emotions, but the world around us.
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Potty Patrol
Available from:Potty training was hands down one of the most difficult things I’ve done with my toddler. Part of the prep work for this adventure is helping your little one understand what’s about to happen and fostering excitement for the journey ahead. Featuring Marshall, Skye, and the rest of the “Paw Patrol” team, Potty Patrol is a fun and encouraging board book designed to help your child start thinking about the potty.
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Mindfulness Moments for Kids: Bunny Breaths
Available from:Whether used as a calming mechanism, a means to replenish energy, or to simply reset one’s mood, the way we breathe is key. Bunny Breaths provides a cute and engaging way to help your child understand the fundamental importance of breathing through simple and fun exercises that can be done anywhere — from the car seat to the playground and everywhere in between. The easy-to-follow instructions are ideal for helping your little one learn to manage their bodies and emotions, while setting them on the path to a more mindful life.
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Potty
Available from:With its bold, simple illustrations and charming sly humor, Potty is a perfect way to start helping your toddler toward potty training. As you and your child follow the inner monologue of Leslie Patricelli’s mischevious Baby, you’ll find plenty of laugh-out-loud moments that are sure to delight not only your little one, but possibly you as well.
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Good Night Yoga
Available from:It’s no secret that sleep is crucial to not only our children’s development in myriad ways – but also to our sanity as parents. Yoga can be excellent way to help calm little minds and bodies as part of a bedtime routine. Good Night Yoga, part of the beloved Good Night Our World series, is a fun and charming way to explore a host of deep breathing exercises and poses with your little one.
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Grumpy Monkey’s Little Book of Grumpiness
Available from:Helping our little ones come to terms with and recognize their growing emotions – or as I tell my toddler, his big feelings – is an important component of mental wellness. Helping our children both recognize and develop good coping strategies is vital to helping our children feel secure, loved, and content. Grumpy Monkey’s Little Book of Grumpiness is a fun and hilarious way to help kids recognize that all-too-common feeling of grumpiness and discover ways to head it off.
(On Sale: 9/29/20)Also available from:
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2020 and updated in 2021.