We live in a busy, ever evolving world filled with challenges and discoveries, especially for your little ones. Just because your children are young and look small doesn’t mean that they don’t need to unwind and relax just like adults do. In fact, they may need it more. After all, everything is so new to them and dealing with an unending flow of new information and learning to gauge their emotional response to it can be overwhelming and taxing. Sometimes your child just needs to shut off and take a breather, and you can help them do just that. Besides, there are several advantages to teaching your kids how to relax when you are not around. This way when they are having a difficult day in school or are getting worked up in an extracurricular class, they can use these techniques to relieve some tension. This will also help them recognize their emotions and cater to their own needs which will eventually lead to them becoming emotionally stable adults. So if you’d like to know a couple of techniques to help your child relax, keep on reading!
1. Flower And Candle Technique For Concentration And Attention
Start by asking your child to close both their hands into a fist and also to close their eyes. Then ask them to imagine that in their right fist they have a lit candle and in their left fist a flower in the color and size of their choice. Then encourage your child to inhale deeply and act like they are smelling their favorite flower. Then ask them to exhale all the air from their mouth as if they were trying to blow out the candle they were holding in their other palm. Then repeat this deep breathing exercise 6 times or until they’ve visibly relaxed and calmed down.
2. Lazy Cat Technique To Relax Arms And Shoulders
Ask your child to close their eyes, take a deep breath and imagine that they are a lazy cat. This is also known as the Koeppen technique. Then ask your child to raise their hands above their head and stretch and extend their arms as much as they can, until they feel their shoulders tighten. Finally, ask them to slowly lower their arms to the sides of their body when completely relaxed. Repeat this exercise 5 times.
3. Use The Turtle Technique To Release Muscle Tension And Relieving Anger
We all know that kids are soon to anger, especially when they are younger and have next to no control over their emotional state. So this is a great exercise to teach them. Ask your child to sit down comfortably and imagine that they are a turtle entering their shell. Ask them to pull their shoulders towards their ears and tense their body. Then, have them count to 10 and ask them to slowly relax their shoulders and body, returning to their original position. Ask them to repeat this action a couple of times until the muscles in their neck and shoulders have relieved some tension.
4. Utilize The Lemon Technique To Relax Arms And Hands
Kids use their hands a lot. To play, write and fidget with just about anything. This is why it’s important to give their little arms and hands a break and help them relax. To do this, ask your child to imagine holding a lemon in each hand. Then tell them to squeeze their hands, as if they were going to squeeze them to extract all the juice. Then simply tell them to relax their hands and to open them to drop the imaginary lemons. Easy and effective!
5. Balloon Technique
Ask your child to lie down on their back and place their favorite stuffed animal on their stomach. Make sure the stuffed animal is small and does not obstruct their breathing. Then ask them to inhale deeply and count to 4 in their heads, pretending to be a slowly inflating balloon. The goal is to try to inflate their belly as much as possible so that the doll rises. So explain to them that their belly is the balloon they should be filling up with air. Then ask them to exhale while mentally counting to 4 again. This time ask them to imagine that the balloon is deflating. Make sure their belly is deflating so that the stuffed toy sinks down. You can ask them to repeat this exercise until their entire body is relaxed and they seem in a better headspace.
Everyone has tough days where they need a little pick-me-up, even your kids. So it’s important to give them the right tools to help them cope with life’s stressors and help them relax when it’s necessary for their wellbeing. Happy parenting!