Taylor the Turtle - A Guide to Mindfulness for Children and Parents

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Taylor the Turtle Written by Emma Bourroux, Ava Laufenberg, Rachel Nebel, and Brenna Patterson Illustrated by Kelly Kavousi

This book is dedicated to all children struggling to understand their feelings of anxiety.

Thank you to Dr. Linda Lee, Dr. Denise Daniels,

Professor Russell Swanagon, and Professor Nick Bockelman for their guidance and support in the creation of our senior project.

Thank you to Kelly Kavousi for bringing our words and vision to life.

Thank you to Cal Poly and the Department of Psychology and Child Development for helping us Learn by Doing.

It was the morning of the first day of school, and Taylor the Turtle found himself sitting around the breakfast table with his parents.

He sat there quietly, not knowing what to expect for the day. What would the first day be like?

Would he make friends? Will he have fun?

Taylor’s parents filled his mind with question after question...

n

oi

“Did

yo u

rem em be r

“D o

ug

yo

“ Wh oa re

“Ar e

yo

us

ur e

w to get to school?” o h ber m me e r u o y ?” y ch packed and rea b n u l t dy ? si ou r ” y o t e v n y i our ba g a p a p er ckp h d n a u ack s l o i c y ?” n e p ut p to

Let’s think about... feelings!

How do you feel right now?

“Imagine that it is your first day of school, or maybe

imagine that you are walking into a room where you know no one. How does that make you feel?”

Are there any other situations that give you those same feelings?

Where do you feel those feelings in your body?

What do you do when you get those feelings inside of you?

“15 more minutes Taylor!”

Only 10 more minutes!

“Last 5 minutes until school!”

Taylor hugs his parents before

leaving. “Remember to make some friends and be safe.” says Dad. “Don’t talk to strangers, I love you!” says Mom.

As he walks to school, Taylor begins to feel nervous while his body tenses and his heart races.

“I didn’t know school was that big!”

Out of the blue, Taylor

hears a “Are you new here?”

Surprised, Taylor responds, “Yeah I am, are you?”

“I’ve been here for 2 years and I love school. You’re

going to have the best time,

I promise!” says the Giraffe.

Taylor shrinks into his

shell as Gabby the Giraffe runs off to their friends.

Let’s think about... friends!

How do you feel when you meet new people for the first time?

How do you think other people feel

when they meet you for the first time?

What are some ways to show someone you want to be their friend?

How do you think other people feel when you want to be their friend?

Taylor goes to his classroom, seeing

everyone smiling and happy. There are only 2 seats open in opposite

corners. Mrs. Ellis the Elephant sees Taylor and says, “There are two

seats left, Taylor! Sit in the one you want!”

Taylor, looking anxious, internalizes thoughts. “It looks like people

already know each other and are

already comfortable” He scans the

room for a minute and spots Gabby.

“She was the girl who came up to me today! I guess I’ll go sit by her.”

Mrs. Ellis the Elephant instructs the class as they say, “Okay class, open your books to page 10!”

Taylor immediately became worried, thinking, “What if I get chosen to read?” or “What if I mispronounce?”

When it was time for everyone to go home, Taylor was the last one to leave.

Ellis the Elephant noticed Taylor hanging his head

low and asks in a concerned voice “Taylor how was your first day of school?”

Taylor responds “It was different than I expected. I

expected to make friends right away but that didn’t happen and I got scared about speaking up and having to possibly read to the whole class.”

“These feelings are called anxiety. These are normal,

and it is okay to feel this way. Your body is reacting to uncomfortable situations.”

“Let’s start by taking a deep breath and count to three.”

“Why don’t you try this

with me?” says Mrs. Ellis the Elephant.

B

n i e . . . h t a re

t a he e r B

1 ... 2 ... 3 ..

.

out ... 1 ... 2

... 3 ...

Let’s think about... the importance of breathing How do you feel after talking about your feelings?

Who can you talk to about your feelings?

What made you feel better the last time you were upset?

How did you feel after breathing with Taylor and his family?

On his walk home, Taylor felt anxious as soon as he

saw his parents, knowing

that all the questions from

breakfast were going to be asked again.

He reminded himself

to keep calm through

breathing, remembering to breathe in 1-2-3 and breathe out 1-2-3.

“At school my teacher, Ellis the

Elephant, taught me how to calm my body when feeling anxious. One way is by taking deep breaths. Want to try it with me?” asks Taylor.

Excited, his parents say, “We would

love to! We can’t wait to see what else you are going to learn tomorrow!”

Taylor and his parents together practiced breathing in 1-2-3, and breathing out 1-2-3.

Tips to Calm Down When Having Anxiety Breathe in and out Take deep breaths like Taylor the Turtle.

Breathe in for 1... 2... 3... Breathe out for 1... 2... 3...

3-3-3 Rule Look around you and name 3 things you see. Then,

name 3 sounds you hear. Finally, move 3 parts of your body-your ankle, fingers, or arm. Keep doing this but naming new things rather than repeating.

Do something Stand up, walk around, do jumping jacks... do

something to interrupt the thoughts in your mind.

Stand up straight Open up your body and chest rather than hunching over and closing in. Relax your muscles.

Watch a funny video Watch your favorite TV show, movie, or video, something to get you laughing.

Talk to someone Find a friend, a parent, or someone around you to talk to. Talk to them about what you’re feeling .

Know you are not in this alone!

Do mindfulness meditations Turn the page!

Taylor’s Mindfulness Meditation

Message from the Authors

Emma

Ava

Rachel

Brenna

We came together to write this book as our Senior Project for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. We chose to focus on anxiety in children as anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, with over 40 million adults and about 4.5 million children affected by it every year. We want parents to feel comfortable talking to their children about these anxious feelings and know that they are not alone. Anxiety is a normal and common feeling everyone experiences at some point in their life. We wanted to provide resources and tips for ways to deal with these feelings.

We hope that this story brings some comfort to those struggling with anxiety.