Kid Decompression: How to Help Children Relax

howtohelpchildrenrelax

Ways to Help Your Child Decompress & Get Rid of Stress

Just as we all experience stress in our adult lives, kids feel those pressures, too. Their days are filled with school, sports, activities and homework. They have to navigate the intricate dance of making and keeping friends, how to get along with their teachers, and to do their best in both their studies, as well as their other activities. So, kids need an outlet to decompress and relax, just like we do. How can we help our kids learn how to take some time to unwind from the daily whirlwind of life?

Talk with them

howtohelpchildrenrelax2 Sometimes kids just need to tell you all about what is going on in their lives. Starting this habit early will make them more comfortable opening up to you during their tween and teen years. Take some time each day to listen to your child. This means a time when you are off your phone and can look them in the eye. It might be at dinner time, during bath time, or when you just sit together. Knowing you are there to listen and support them helps to ease the burdens children sometimes carry in their minds.

Playtime

howtohelpchildrenrelax3 When kids get the time to run, jump and play, it releases good hormones and burns up some anxious energy. This play time should be unstructured and kid-centered. I have noticed that when I don’t take my kids out to play every afternoon, they are much more restless at bedtime. The backyard, playground or beach are all great places for kids to burn off the energy they were forced to stifle while sitting in a classroom all day long.

Yoga and meditation

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Even your littles can participate in these activities. You don’t need to go to a class, just teach your kids a few moves to stretch their bodies and also to sit still and breathe. We have a set of cards that have a yoga pose, a picture of the pose, and how do the pose properly. The kids will take turns picking a card and try the pose. This is also very good for moms and dads to participate in, as well. At the end, teach your child how to either sit or lay quietly and to fill a balloon in their tummy. Inhale to fill the balloon and exhale to empty the balloon.

Think positive

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You can play a positive video in your mind or think of all of the good things that happened in your day. Teaching your children the acts of positivity and gratitude will help them to learn to handle the difficulties of life better. While we don’t want to discount the bad things that they might be experiencing, helping them to work through the stresses is a valuable life lesson to teach kids.
 
While we can’t eliminate all of the stresses of life for our children, (even though we would if we could) helping them to deal with stress is what we can do. Helping our children learn to decompress and unwind will benefit them throughout their lives.
 
 
Meet The Bella Behind the Blog: Kristen Farley is a mother of three and a domestic goddess. She is a former teacher who enjoys spending lots of time with her kids, healthy eating, volunteering at school, and mommy blogging for the masses.

Be on the lookout for more of Kristen’s expert advice and brilliant tips!

Author: Kristen Farley

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