BLOW OUT A CANDLE – This is another good way of
getting a child to breathe deeply. Light a candle that the child blows out. But then relight
it and move it further away. Keep doing this until the child’s breath can no longer reach
the flame.
WATCH FISH – Research has shown that watching fish
has a positive influence on stress and blood pressure which is why many hospitals have fish
tanks. The larger the fish tank, the better the effects. Take children where they can watch
fish - even a lake.
COUNT BACKWARDS FROM 100 – This gives children
something to focus on to distract them from their stress.
REPEAT A MANTRA – Think of a relaxing mantra to
repeat such as ‘I am calm’. Be creative and think of different ones.
MAKE THE BELLY A BALLOON – Teach a child to
breathe into the belly, blowing it up like a balloon, then allowing the balloon to deflate
when breathing out.
SHAKE A GLITTER JAR – Fill jars such as baby food
jars, with water and glitter. Children enjoy shaking these up for 2 – 3 minutes which
distracts them from stress.
CREATE A VISION BOARD – Cutting out pictures and
words of things they love or would like to have, allows children to dream and have hope that
their dreams may come true.
SQUISH PUTTY – another good way to distract from
stress.
FOR OLDER CHILDREN – provide them with a notebook
so they can write down their feelings. But let them know their writings are private if they
do not wish others to see.
GRATITUDE JOURNAL – Encourage children to write at
least one thing every day that they are grateful for. Use a nice colourful journal that they
can enjoy returning to.
