Sometimes feelings can be overwhelming. It is helpful to give children a box of tools to use in those moments when they would like to re-focus and shift their thoughts in order to feel better. Sweep it Out is a tool that can be used to shift your thoughts to a more...
This relaxation script is related to finding a peaceful place. Activities that support children finding a peaceful place help them to feel safe and re-establish feelings of tranquility when they are experiencing challenging emotions. Next time your child is...
Last weekend, as the weather turned into spring, I turned my back patio into a labyrinth activity center. My children and I created a heart-shaped spiral and a simple circular spiral labyrinth with sidewalk chalk and began to walk. Paying attention to our in-breath...
I tell children when they are feeling overly stressed and tense, that it is just a sign that we need to release some stuck energy and re-establish calm feelings. One way to do that is through hand yoga or mudras. These are easy hand signals that can be used at any...
All of our clothes have them--tags that explain exactly what is needed to take good care of the cloth. A beautiful activity, created by my good friend Tajali Teresa Toland, co-founder of the Children's Global Peace Project (www.cgpp.org), includes creating your very...
The latest brain research tells us that our biochemistry is affected by the way we think. If children spend all day thinking stressful thoughts, their biochemistry will align to feel more stress. However, if they spend all day thinking relaxing, peaceful thoughts,...
Teaching children to relax begins by helping them to understand the difference between feeling tense and feeling relaxed. We can do this by playing tense/relax games. Showing them the difference between being very relaxed and very tense can be fun and engaging. 1. ...
I often encourage children to do "turtle time" when they are feeling overwhelmed or experiencing a state of unease or anger. When our emotions run high, having a code word or signal to initiate a calming activity is important. "Turtle Time" can serve as that...
A mandala is a sacred circle. Mandalas can be found throughout nature, right down to the cellular level. We are literally swimming in a universal tapestry of interwoven sacred circles. I believe there is a function or an unmet need behind every behavior. When we...
We can teach children to lift relaxing positive thoughts like we lift weights. Relaxing positive thoughts carry much more weight and influence than negative thoughts. Therefore, just like we work out physically, a little work out daily, goes a long way. We know...
