Count Yourself Calm: Taking BIG Feelings to a BIG God

by Eliza Huie

Teach children a calming activity that focuses their attention on God and helps them manage their emotions.

This beautifully illustrated and empathetically written book walks children through a calming activity that focuses their attention on God and helps them manage their emotions.

Through a combination of slow breathing, prayer, and focusing on five things about God and his good gifts, children will learn to count themselves calm. Children can practise this calming activity while you read them the book and then use it when they feel upset, sad, angry, worried, anxious, or scared.

This resource is a great tool to equip children 4-7 years old to regulate their emotions and calm down.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

24 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2023

Reviews

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

My endorsement: “This beautiful book will train your family to bring their emotions—their hearts—to God. I strongly recommend it.”

[Tegan V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful reminder that at the core of our big emotions we can trust a bigger God. I am so excited to use this with my daughter and in my clinical practice. The steps outlined are perfect for kids and adults alike. I’d love to see more books in a series like this! DBT skills woven with scripture!

[Taliah Kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful and practical tool for kids!

[Talia Messina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amen to practical applications rooted in scripture!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This emotional awareness picture book is great for Christian families to use together. It guides children in understanding their feelings on a bad day, reassures them that everyone has days like this, and models how kids can use a breath prayer and coping tool to calm down when they feel overwhelmed. Eliza Huie explains in the author's note that this method is adapted from the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown that many people use while thinking about the senses. In the approach she models in this book, kids instead count down while thinking about the help God brings to their lives through other people, good things that God has made, and God's character.

"Count Yourself Calm" is appropriate for a wide age range. The book is kid-friendly without feeling overly juvenile, and this is appropriate for use through elementary school. The text is engaging and compassionate, and the illustrations from Mike Henson are bright and colorful, with a different color theme for each stage of the calming activity. These page spreads also include short Bible verses that tie in with the concept. At the end, the last page asks kids how they're feeling and lets them pick their current emotion off a wheel with words for different emotions. If you still feel terrible afterwards, you can say that, and that doesn't mean you failed the exercise!

This is a wonderful way for parents to help their children grow in understanding their emotions and coping with challenges. In the author's note, Huie encourages parents to go through this book with their children at a time when they are at peace so that they can understand and develop these skills before they're necessary to prevent a meltdown. This book can also be helpful for parental emotions, and it is great for Christian educational contexts and counseling settings in addition to family use.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mama, I was so happy to discover a book that teaches mindfulness from a Christian perspective! Over the years of toddler hood and through preschool, my daughter and I have read a handful of books that focus on calming techniques and mindfulness, but this was the first one that gave practical , easy to follow advice paired with Scripture and I LOVED it!

Using vibrant, rainbow-colored illustrations, this sweet book helps young children understand that it is okay to have a bad day and experience a wide range of big feelings. It instructs them on a simple breathing technique that they can pair with a short prayer when emotions surge in their little hearts and minds. I love that the prayer focuses on trusting in God.

After a deep breath, the book then uses mindfulness by counting down from five. With short and to-the-point book words, the book encourages children to name the people and things that God has given them which bring them love, joy, peace and hope, with a final reminder to describe one attribute of God. Each countdown page has a short Bible verse, offering an excellent way to tuck God’s word into their little hearts and encourage their minds, giving them the strength to face their feelings.

This book is incredible! It is so profound, yet engaging, simple and fun. It is also a great reminder for children and adults alike to keep our minds focused on God and what He has given us, as well as on what He has promised us when times are hard. A definite recommendation for any young child’s library!

* I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and all thoughts below are my own. I was not required to post a positive review.

[Zorina Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helps parents teach their children how to calm down whether they are feeling worried, scared, angry, or sad etc. It teaches children that everyone has bad days and that we can take our feelings to God. The author's method for helping teach kids how to calm down is an adaption of some other methods out there that use the five senses to help them calm down. Instead of using the five senses though, the author has a 5 things to reflect on that bring our focus back to God and His many blesses He gives us.

5. Think of 5 things God made that bring you joy.

4. Think of 4 gifts from God that bring you peace.

3. Think of 3 people in your life that God uses to encourage you.

2.Think of 2 promises of God that bring you hope.

1. What is one word that describes God that helps calm you down?

Before and after these 5 steps, the author teaches your child to breath in and out and pray and ask God to help them trust Him.

I love that this book helps children put their focus back on God and the many blessings He has given us when they are struggling and to pray for God's help. There are Scripture verses on some of the pages as well. This book is great to teach children before they are having a hard time and to put into practice when they are.

[Monica H (TeaandBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who has had anxiety in the past, they may be familiar with grounding themselves by counting five things to help them relax as that is a common way given to help yourself. Count Yourself Calm by Eliza Huie helps children use this tool from a Christian perspective.

Count Yourself Calm has bright fun illustrations from Mike Henson. He does a great job of bringing the needed actions to life in this book and helping children see what to do. This isn't the typical children's bedtime book. This is a book that could help children on difficult days to face feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, and more. The book helps direct children towards remembering that they are not alone and God is with them. At the same time, they are actively doing something to help calm their bodies down, along with their minds. I think Count Yourself Calm is a great book to help children deal with difficult feelings and to look to God as part of the solution. I wish I had had it when my son was little. Honestly, I think it is a good reminder to adults to also take time to pray, breathe and remember God is with them in various ways.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you teach your kids to properly express and control their emotions? In Count Yourself Calm, Eliza Huie shares five simple steps for taking big feelings to a big God.

Aimed at 4-7 year olds, this book is an adaptation of a calming activity that uses the five senses. In this book, your children will be redirect their focus on God as they manage their emotions. It is simple and straightforward, giving practical steps to give our anger, anxiousness, and attention to God.

God Changes Hearts

The illustrations by Mike Henson were friendly with striking colors. My children enjoyed the Emotions Wheel towards the back of the book, to help them describe how they feel. We’ve been working with our children in giving them different words and ways to express their emotions, and this was a great resource to use.

I most appreciated the fact that the book asks your children to focus on two promises of God that gives hope. I recently learned that we must teach our children that change is possible, and this book reminds us that this what God does. He changes our hearts, and it’s a prayer that I want for myself as well as my children.

I received a media copy of Count Yourself Calm and this is my honest review.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book that introduces a method for children to take big feelings to God.

The method in this involves breathing deeply while praying a quick prayer and then thinking of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 things in different categories (an adaptation of a 5 senses activity that is focused on God and gratitude more than senses). There's a helpful note to adults in the back of the book clarifying that it is better to read this in a non-urgent situation so that the method is one kids are familiar with when they do need it. I can see this being helpful even for adults. It's simple, but it gets the mind thinking along gratitude lines and research has definitely shown that that really helps us calm down and get out of negative spirals. Recommended for Christian families and schools.

[Catherine Schaffrath]

The book follows a young girl named Maya who is feeling overwhelmed by her emotions. When her grandmother notices Maya's distress, she teaches her a calming exercise called "counting breaths." As Maya learns to focus on her breath and count each inhale and exhale, she gradually begins to feel more centered and calm. This book can be used in classrooms to teach children about calming exercises and then lead to teaching other breathing and mindful exercises to help them understand and control their emotions.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title aptly describes the book. In the back the author states:

"This is an adaptation of a calming activity that uses the five senses. In the original activity, children are encouraged to use the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown to focus on each of the five senses as a way to distract the child from a distressing situation. Instead of merely providing distraction, the five steps in this book help to focus the child's attention on the help that God brings".

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book is AWESOME!! I love reading this book to my students and I love giving this book to other adults to read. I think that with little kids they have a hard time understanding their feelings and how to deal with them. By going to God, He can help us through them. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This is truly a great book.

[Maggie Lanier · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably the cutest, emotion discussing book !!