5 Quick Fixes For Calmer Kids

Sometimes the build-up is slow and almost unnoticeable. Other times it’s like an explosion of energy that the child simply doesn’t know how to channel.

Either way, having a wide variety of techniques to help kids calm down quickly is invaluable.
Of course, all of us already have a good range of techniques, but it’s always interesting to share new ones. And that’s just the point of this short, but practical book: 5 Quick Fixes For Calmer Kids

As meditation & yoga teachers, Clare Josa and Peter Briant are often in a situation where we need to help people de-stress, calm down and relax, before they can enjoy their yoga or successfully meditate or practise mindfulness.
And, over the years, the tips they have used with “grown-ups” have been refined to work with “littler people”, too!

There are always multiple causes for fighting, bickering and generally difficult behaviour and it is not intending to address them all in this short book. However, these quick fixes can make a big difference, while you look for any underlying causes.
This book’s intention is to provide you with some practical quick fixes that you can rely on, whenever the kids are going crazy.

No matter how our children usually behave, there are always times when they will play up – and that’s when this book comes in handy.

The strategies are very quick to understand and apply, yet can make a profound difference.

Some are common sense. Others are based on sound psychological principles. All are useful if you want to practice teaching your children mindfulness and relaxation, longer-term.

We hope it includes some ideas to inspire you to build on, with your own techniques.

Namaste,

Clare Josa & Peter Briant

P.S. This book was designed to be short-and-sweet, so you can read it quickly, and the Kindle version costs less than a bar of chocolate… ‘Nuff said?!

Grab your copy now: 5 Quick Fixes For Calmer Kids

Have our kids forgotten how to play?

And our kids are far from immune to the onslaught of stuff to do.

A recent study by Ofcom, published by the BBC this week, showed that adults are spending a shocking 3.8 hours watching television – EVERY DAY.

Add to that their use of computers, games and mobile phones and the figure goes even higher.

And children aren’t far behind.

In another recent survey by TV channel Eden, 2000 children were asked some pretty basic questions about the “outside world”.

The most shocking statistic was the fact that 64% of children play outside less than once a week.

There is a growing body of evidence that children need time outdoors – in nature – preferably without adults interfering.

Psychologists are now proving what we have instinctively known for generations:

Creative play, outdoors in nature, is an essential part of childhood.

Yet most of our kids end up being ferried from one after-school activity to the next, before being nagged into doing their homework and shipped off to bed, often with a good dose of TV or MySpace in the mix.

“Nature is a tool,” says Stephen Moss, naturalist, broadcaster and author, “to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.” So climbing a tree, he says, is about “learning how to take responsibility for yourself, and how – crucially – to measure risk for yourself. Falling out of a tree is a very good lesson in risk and reward.”

So why are we so scared of our children playing?

In my son’s kindergarten class, his teacher regularly reminds me that children act out – and resolve – their stresses, tensions and fears through creative play.

Without play, they are at risk of shutting down their emotions and ending up with the issues I see in my mentoring clients every week.

But allowing children to play creatively is often challenging for us parents, in our super-hectic lives where supreme-multi-tasking and constant running on adrenalin is the only recipe that allows us to get everything done.

The simple fact is that, if we want our children to grow up happy and confident, laid back yet effective, then we need to lead by example.

We need to learn how to let go – to be, instead of always doing.

Perhaps we need to remember how to play?

And have fun?

Then our children would learn that it’s ok not to always be doing stuff – it’s ok to be, to play, to connect with nature.

Perhaps it’s not the children who have forgotten how to play, but us, their parents?

What are your thoughts? What would your suggestions be, based on these research studies?

We would love to hear from you, via the comments box!

If you’re interested in Mindfulness for Kids, we’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter!

It can help them concentrate, relax, get things into perspective and even feel happier, more grounded and more positive.

If a doctor could give children a pill to do all that, most parents would be tempted to use it.

But meditation & mindfulness don’t need a prescription; it’s completely free and has no negative side effects!

So how about giving this one a go today?

10 Minute Belly Breathing Meditation

Help your kids feel more relaxed & happier in under 10 minutes

For older children, with a longer concentration span, aim to build up to 10 minutes for this exercise.

For younger children and toddlers, even 10 breaths would be a great start!

1. Sit quietly with your child at a time when they’re up for playing with this
2. Make sure you both have your back straight, your shoulders relaxed and your chin tucked in a little, to relax your neck.
3. Belly breathing is easier for young children when they can see their belly moving, so get them to copy you as you put your hands on your belly, just above your belly button. You want your fingertips of your middle fingers to be lightly touching, as your belly is pushed towards your back.
4. Then, as you breathe in, allow your belly to expand (now is NOT the time to worry about looking fat !). Your fingertips will move apart.
5. Breathe out, belly goes back towards your spine, fingertips go back together.
6. Continue this with your little one, breathing together, for as long as they can hold their attention.

This is a wonderful practice for kids (and grown ups!) because it brings the focus back to the breath, bringing the breath back to the lower abdomen, rather than the chest and shoulders – that’s where it hangs out when we’re stressed.

Belly breathing also gives the internal organs a gentle massage (they’re designed to get one, every time the diaphragm moves!). It helps re-oxygenate the blood, can improve concentration and generally has a positive impact on health.

Helping your kids learn to concentrate, with a simple exercise like belly breathing, can help them relax and find it easier to concentrate at school.

The benefits are enormous. Plus it’s fun and free!

How about sharing how you get on, via the comments box?

If you’re interested in Mindfulness for Kids, we’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter!