Wouldn’t it be
great if you had learned effective ways to relax and calm your anger when you
were a kid? Here are 10 relaxation tips for kids that I just read on a
babysitting website. Read them, post them, and have them on your phone so you
can teach your children techniques they can really use!
10
Relaxation Techniques for Kids
While it may seem unnatural for children to experience stress,
many children actually do have high levels of stress. Children are
worried about doing well in school, winning sports games, pleasing their
parents and fitting in with their friends. As most adults know, living up
to others expectations can be very stressful.
If you find your child is experiencing stress, here are some
relaxation techniques that you can try with him.
- Deep breathing. The
convenient thing about this technique is that it can be done at anytime,
anywhere. Have your child close his eyes and take a deep breath in
through his nose and fill his tummy with air. Do this step slowly
and then blow the air out of his mouth all at once. Sometimes having
him think about breathing in the good and blowing out the bad will also
help to relax him.
- Visualization. Visualization
can provide a vacation from the mind. The first couple of times you can
help your child do this technique, and then after some practice she should
be able to do it herself. Have her sit or lie down in a comfortable
position and close her eyes. Ask her to picture herself in her
favorite vacation spot. Is it on a boat or at the beach? Wherever
it is help her intensify her visualization by asking her if she can feel
the wind on her skin or the spray of the waves hitting her face.
Then move on to her sense of smell and ask her if she can smell the sea
water or the flowers nearby. Move on to her sense of hearing and ask
her to listen for the sea gulls or the laughter of other children.
Once you’ve made it through all of the senses let her stay in that
visualization for a few minutes as she releases stress.
- Exercising. The
freedom of running causes your body to release endorphins that flood your
brain and make you feel better. Sometimes exercise can help clear
his mind and reduce his stress levels. Making a habit of regularly
exercising will help him learn to cope better with stress.
- Listening to calming
music. Music can be naturally
relaxing. The human body is an amazing thing, and often our moods will
adapt to the type of music we’re listening to. If she listens to
loud angry music she may begin to feel angry and stressed. If she listens
to soft calming music it will lower her heart rate and drop her blood
pressure. These things will help relax her overall and can even be
used to help her fall asleep at night. If she’s using music as a
sleep aid try to avoid music with lyrics or use the same one over and over
so that she doesn’t listen to the words.
- Laughter. Laughter
is one of the biggest stress relievers for both adults and kids
alike. Read a joke book with him or take him to a really funny
movie. Watch a comedy on TV. Tickle him. Anything to get
him to laugh. The longer he laughs the more tension he will release.
- Meditation or prayer. Meditation
or prayer is very relaxing. By removing herself from
distractions and sitting or lying in a comfortable spot she can begin to
meditate or pray. Meditation requires that she closes her eyes,
clears her mind, and focuses on her breathing. Prayer can be done
with her eyes closed, and as she is talking to God she can unload her
burdens. Either method she chooses will have a relaxing effect on
her.
- Massage. Massages
will help kids relax. While this isn’t the time for a deep
tissue rub down, a relaxing massage is done with soft hands and a tender
touch. Gently squeeze the shoulders to release the tension that sits
there. Rub his scalp and as it becomes looser any tension headache
should ease. If no one is available to give him a massage have him
rub his own feet. This self-massage will encourage blood flow and
help manage stress.
- Release muscles. A
muscle relaxation technique will help loosen tight muscles. Have her
lay down on her back on the floor or bed. No pillow should be used
during this exercise. Tell her to close her eyes and scrunch her
toes as tight as she can and have her hold that for 20 seconds if she can
and then relax her feet. Continue having her tense her calves and
hold it for 20 seconds and then relax her calves. Moving muscle
group by muscle group continue up the body to the head. Once she has
scrunched her face and then relaxed tell her to imagine that she is a sponge
and just let her lie like that for a while.
- Mindful walking. The
mindful walking technique is an easy one to teach to kids. Start
this technique by sitting down on the floor with your child. Have
him close his eyes and concentrate on his breathing for a few minutes.
As soon as he is calm have him stand up and start walking around the
room. Have him concentrate on his feet. How they bend and how
they touch the floor and roll off the floor. First one foot and then
the other foot. Continue to walk mindfully for 10 minutes.
- Cuddling. Cuddling
with a parent or pet will reduce stress. Just petting a pet
can relieve stress and improve a person’s mood. It’s hard to be
upset when a pet is cuddling with you, believes Richard Timmons DVM
(Doctor of Veterinary Medicine). If you don’t have a pet then
cuddling with a parent or caregiver can be just as soothing.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
