With all the uncertainty around us, many of us as well as our children may be feeling all kinds of emotions and may need support and extra reassurance.  Some helpful ways to encourage this and name, validate, and work through their feelings are listed here.  If you have been trying out other ways at home and would like to share what has worked, please email me to share.

Using the palm of your child’s hand you can start by showing them to breathe in as they move up tracing their thumb then out as they go down and back in all through each of their fingers, keep repeating as needed.  Another great way to do this is  to place a little stuffy on their belly and have them take in deep breathes and ask them to watch the stuffy move.

To try some 7 minute HIIT self-regulation with your children you can follow the animal moves below, use a timer if you like and encourage each movement for 45 seconds, take a 15 second break in between:  For the first one do frog leaps up and down, then do a bear walk, hands and feet on the floor, walk left and right. Next do some gorilla squats by doing a low sumo squat then use your hands to balance and shuffle around the room.  Now do a starfish, jump up and down with your arms and legs spread wide. Now be a Cheetah and run as fast as you can in one place, then do a  crab walk by sitting and placing your palms on the ground behind you then lift your hips and crawl on your hands and feet.  Finally do an elephant stomp by marching in place and stomping the ground with all your strength.  In our own family we having been trying to do some yoga in the evening and practising positive affirmations like: “I am strong”, “I am capable”, “I am Ok.”  We all need to remember to recognize how we are feeling and model this to our children so they can learn how to handle all these big emotions.

To share a mindfulness story together as a family click here