- Emily Stoll
- Friday, April 24, 2020
Uncertainty has a tendency to raise our anxiety levels. Recently, our daily routines and schedules - how we live our lives - have been altered. While adults are trying to cope with these changes, children and teens are searching for a source of comfort and normalcy too.
There has been an emphasis on addressing the mental health of children and teens as well as how the coronavirus pandemic will affect their behaviors moving forward. This subject has been covered in a number of news articles across the country.
In an effort to help children and teens alleviate some of their fears, Richland Library staff is sharing some book, music and movie titles. Families can easily access these recommendations, which were featured in The State newspaper, through our digital collection.
I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde (author) & Peter H. Reynolds (illustrator)
Available in hoopla
Recommended by Heather McCue
Right now, it’s hard to quiet our minds. Worry and anxiety about the unknown seem to rush in at a moment’s notice. Our children can feel this upset most keenly. Disruption of routine and distance from their friends can lead to frustration, anger and fear. It’s difficult, at times, to know how to help when we ourselves feel adrift in a sea of emotions. "I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness" is a wonderful family read-aloud that can help our children (and us) tame the tension, calm the worry and be present. Simple, sensory-rich text, supported by spare art, guides readers to still their thoughts and become aware of the world around them. This practice allows you and your children to tune into your feelings but not be overwhelmed by them. Author Susan Verde makes getting started with mindfulness easy and has tips for children and caregivers alike. I recommend beginning or ending your family’s day with this book. You’ll be surprised at what a little peace can do.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
Available in Overdrive and hoopla
Recommended by Jennifer Naimzadeh
In a town straight out of a YA novel (zombies, vampires and a mysterious group called "The Immortals"), high school senior Mikey just wants to live his normal life. This satirical take on the genre explores what it’s like to be a "nobody" in a town full of "somebodies" and how battling everyday demons can be just as difficult as fighting off alien attacks. This book is perfect for readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories, frank and realistic depictions of anxiety and emotion, and healthy doses of humor. It’s recommended for older teens.
Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 35 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Available in Freegal
Recommended by Leslie Tetreault
During stressful times, classical music can soothe and calm, enlighten and inspire, and make us feel humanity at its best. For children, classical music improves concentration and listening skills, enhances synaptic brain function, encourages creativity, and creates calm where there might be chaos. Many studies indicate children who listen to classical music have improved cognition too.
There is so much wonderful classical music from which to choose and share with your children that it can be hard to know where to start. Of course, you cannot go wrong with the beautiful and memorable Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Beethoven’s deep and lovely 9th Symphony, Chopin’s luscious piano compositions, or simply everything Mozart. But there is one violin concerto that speaks to the heart of all that is the best of humanity; a piece that seems to celebrate life itself. Its lyric themes, rich orchestration and hearkening of Russian folksongs leave one breathless. It is Peter IIyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major.
The only violin concerto Tchaikovsky wrote, and one of the best known of all violin concertos, it was composed in 1878 and first performed in Vienna in 1881. The orchestra includes two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings.
You Are My Friend: The Story of Mister Rogers and His Neighborhood (2019)
Directed by Andy T. Jones
Available in hoopla
Recommended by Jenny Dilworth
Let’s be honest – we could all use a little Mister Rogers in our lives right now. Grab your children and gather around to watch this heartwarming animated short film version of Aimee Reid’s book, chronicling the childhood of the young Fred Rogers. Especially relevant to children and parents today, it opens with young Freddie forced to stay inside due to an illness. He has all sorts of feelings about this that he wants to express – anger, loneliness, fear, isolation, frustration – familiar emotions that children may be experiencing now when cooped up at home due to the coronavirus. When he experienced fear, his mother reminded him to "look for the helpers" – good advice for all of us during these uncertain times. Narrated by Bronson Pinchot and accompanied by a soothing piano soundtrack, this film can be an effective vehicle for jumpstarting discussions of childhood feelings and emotions and how to express them. Children see that young Freddie learned to express his feelings creatively through the use of puppets and playing the piano – and channeled this into what came to be a career helping children understand their feelings and their place in the world while encouraging them to spread kindness.
Want to learn more about managing children's emotions? Richland Library's Children and Teen Department Manager dives deeper into the subject here.