Tips from one of our fabulous therapists Elanie Moulos….

1. ABC’s kids yoga – your child can have a go at performing different poses related to each letter, example C for cobra pose and D for dog pose. Be sure to make it fun and allow the child to use their imagination when performing different poses. They can imitate an animal and imagine what it feels like to take on their qualities. Yoga poses can help promote a sense of calmness and relaxation. It is great for calming the little ones.

 

2. Breathing – Balloon Breathing, Dragon Fire Breaths, Rainbow Bubble Breathing and the list goes on! My favourite is Dragon Fire Breaths – I ask the child to inhale as much air through their nose, then slowly lifting their head up they exhale ‘hah’ or ‘ooo’ as long as they can out of their mouth until all the fire has left! Make sure the exhale is longer than inhale – this will promote the relaxation response. Children can also create their own fire breathing dragon craft, which they can use to blow out of also!

 

3.Calming / chill out corner – You can call this space whatever you like, but the aim is to provide a space where your child can go to to calm down, chill out and re-center, particularly before things escalate into a frenzy. Children can become overwhelmed by big emotions and difficult situations, and this place can be a calming and relaxing outlet. Make sure to have some fun and calming ideas in this space, including a comfortable beanbag (if you have enough room!), books to read, calming music, calming colours such as blue, green, purple and grey, mandala colouring (see below) or other drawing activities and add in some sense of smell such as using lavender in a diffuser or room spray (as this is known to be calming and aide in stress relief).

 

4. Colouring in! Yes, a simple, yet relaxing activity. Allow your child have some time in the calming corner practising their colouring and writing skills. Particularly Mandalas for children are my favourite. Have your child use lots of different colours and create beautiful geometric and flower designs. By focusing their attention to the different shapes and colours, the feeling of the pencil on the page and the sounds of the pencil when colouring, this can assist them in focusing their attention (and steering away from emotional triggers) and help relieve stress and anxiety.