“Awakening Joy for Kids is an extraordinary gift for parents, teachers, and most especially for our children. James Baraz and Michele Lilyanna offer simple yet powerful teachings, which have the potential to transform our individual and collective lives. I highly recommend this book!”
—Shauna Shapiro PhD, Mindful Discipline and The Art and Science of Mindfulness
“This is a magical book. Like the Nutra-Grow we put on our plants to help them bloom, these practices really make Joy and Wisdom grow! What a wonderful nurturance for our children. “
—Jack Kornfield, PhD, The Wise Heart
“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 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, 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.”— Christine Carter, PhD, Raising Happiness and The Sweet Spot, Senior Fellow, Greater Good Science Center
“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. 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 of Heart-Mind Education, creating mindfulness training for teachers
“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
“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
“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, TEDx talk on Restorative Circles
