Churchill Launches Mindfulness Audiobooks to Help Children and Parents Chill

Churchill, working with creative agency ENGINE, has launched 'Little Chapters of Chill', a series of free audio books designed to take 4-7-year olds through mindfulness techniques, in partnership with children’s author Sue Pickford and author and podcast host Giovanna Fletcher.

Originally planned for the summer to help kids ‘chill’ in the back of the car during long summer drives, Churchill recognised the pressure parents are under trying to keep children focussed on schoolwork and entertained and brought forward the launch date of the audiobooks to help the little ones, and the big ones, chill at home instead. 

'Little Chapters of Chill' are narrated by Giovanna Fletcher, host of the hit podcast 'Happy Mum, Happy Baby', and written by qualified meditation guide and author Sue Pickford, whose book 'Chinglish' was named by the Guardian as one of the ‘Top Children’s Books of 2019’.

The five audiobooks, conceived by ENGINE, take the listener on fun, calming adventures with Churchie the dog. The stories are specially designed to keep children entertained, while also supporting better mental health practices through mindfulness exercises.

As Churchie meets and greets all sorts of characters, listeners are encouraged to take part in a mindfulness exercise to help them ‘chill’. From breathing exercises that help your body relax, to listening techniques to improve your awareness of the world around you – the audiobooks are both a great listen and a useful tool to calm the mind and reduce stress.  

Sue Pickford said: “Mindfulness and meditation are just as important for children as they are for adults, especially now as they have been through a huge amount of disruption to their routines. Taking a few minutes out of a busy day to practice mindfulness, such as breathing techniques and visualisation, can help to slow down the pace of life and be calming. The audio books I’ve written will really help parents, as they will help children relax and focus on positive thinking.”

Giovanna Fletcher commented: “With three boys under six, I know how everyday can become a juggling act of epic proportions. Home schooling whilst trying to get work done is not easy. But it’s also important to take a moment to breathe and enjoy being at home together. That’s where mindfulness can help, and that’s why I’m super excited to be narrating Churchill’s new audiobooks, ‘Little Chapters of Chill’. Each story includes a mindfulness exercise to help kids – and hopefully parents! – get some more chill time." 

Jane Morgan, marketing manager, Churchill Home Insurance, said: “Parents have been finding lockdown really difficult as they are under pressure to maintain their level of work while also educating and entertaining their children. At Churchill, we want to do whatever we can to help parents through this time. That’s why we decided to bring the launch of our audiobooks forward. Originally planned for the summer, to help kids chill in the back of cars during long drives, we felt the audiobooks could provide a little bit of peace and calm to both children and parents right now.” 

Richard Nott, creative director, ENGINE Creative, said: “Having two young girls myself, my personal motivation behind ‘Little Chapters of Chill’ was already, secretly, a little selfish.  But with the onset of lockdown, having soothing mindfulness exercises and fun stories wrapped together in one easy listen makes me even more thrilled to have these audiobooks there.”

‘Little Chapters of Chill’ are available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts, or by visiting https://churchill.uk/chapterschill.