![]() ![]() Ripping and Scrunching appropriate Objects: If it is strong emotions relating to aggression, frustration and opposition that a child experiences you can provide them with safe objects to take their feelings out on. The idea is that it is OK to feel angry or upset, emotions are normal but what you do with them is even more important.ħ. Whether it is a picture a scribble or a bunch of hard lines doesn’t matter as long as they feel they can openly let out how they feel in an appropriate way. Art therapy is often used with older children to release negative energy and express inner feelings but for younger children just doing a big hard scribble can be a great release, ask them to draw how they feel and see what they come up with. Reading, Drawing and Art Therapy about feelings: This gives a child the opportunity to distinguish their feelings through pictures and discuss how they might feel without directly talking about it. Tell them to take a big breath before entering the chill out corner and to use their breath in pinwheels, balloons, soft whistles and bubble blowers.Ħ. Asking them to close their eyes and take deep breathes can help but for younger children there are fun little activities that can help that require deep breathes. Deep Breathing: Most children don’t know how to calm their body down and self-regulate so they need to be taught this skill. This helps them self-regulate their emotions, calm down, re-centre, settle the mind/body and provides a stress-release (much like the adult stress balls I am sure you’ve seen before).ĥ. Occupational therapists utilise sensory activities and things that they call “fidget toys” for children who have adhd, autism and sensory processing disorder but for all children these types of toys can provide a release of energy in a highly attentive manner where they require a re-focus of cognitive ability and a distraction from the spaces surrounding them. ![]() Sensory Tactile Objects: These objects require focus and attention and have been used in calming activities with children for a long time. Have a look at the Scented sensory bottles we made and our Dyed rice soaked in lavender like the lavender Zen garden we did here in our Relaxing Mini Zen Garden Using Lavender Dyed Rice.Ĥ. You can use smell by adding it in diffusers, Room spray on the cushions or materials, clean the room with lavender carpet deodoriser, or use lavender in pillows, pot pouri or in teddies with the stuffing. ![]() Sense of Smell: Lavender has long been known to aide in stress relief. Use your colours in your chill out area through storage boxes, materials, cushions, curtains or a theme.ģ. It has been said that warm colours, such as yellow are stressful and can even cause distraction and agitation in children. Light and neutral colours that aren’t overwhelming and will help calm the soul are great to have in your calming space. Notice they are all on the cool side of the colour spectrum. Colours: Blues, Greens, Purples and Greys are said to be calming colours. If this isn’t something that appeals to your child, many people feel that dance or “dancing it off” to fast up beat music you can groove and move to is a great physical release for pent up energy.Ģ. Soft tranquil nature sounds, classical or calming noises that you can find on mediation Cd’s or baby toys do wonders for the mind. Music: Calming music is a good stress release that aides in relaxation. Here are some ideas of things that can go into a calm space or a chill out corner and what we have included in ours.ġ. Even if this doesn’t happen often young children can get overwhelmed by big emotions in their tiny bodies, whether its frustration or anger or sadness and this provides him an appropriate outlet for these because we all know big emotions can escalate into yelling, shouting, name calling, lashing out, tantrums and even physical attacks which we do not want. ![]() The basic idea is that it will help diffuse situations before they escalate into chaos. It’s a bit like a thinking corner I guess, with a positive twist, nothing like time out or the naughty corner. In my home, instead of punishing temper tantrums or using the traditional time outs and the minute per year of age, we have established a calming chill out corner where dimples (my son) can go to re-center, calm down or chill out. How to teach children self-regulation and how to remain calm at times of temper tantrums is something that is very important to many parents. ![]()
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