Relaxation Exercise For Children

Playing is part of the integral development of the child. Children have to run, jump, dance, let off steam and move. On the other hand, they sometimes need to relax and be very still. We offer you a series of relaxation exercises for children that would undoubtedly be beneficial for their physical and mental health.

With these techniques, their anxiety, stress and insomnia may decrease and they will be able to better control their emotions and behavior. In addition, it will allow them to have morale. Best of all, achieving that state of calm doesn’t have to be boring, it can be achieved by uniting two areas: Welcome to playful relaxation.

Jacobson and Schultz method

The Jacobson method is one of the most widely used methods in the world. It is based on the contraction and then the relaxation of different muscles or muscle groups.

Simply, by lying on the ground, we can indicate to the child the parts of his body that he must contract for a few seconds and then release them. Thus, the child will gradually feel a relief which will extend to his whole organism. We can start with individual muscle groups like the hand or the neck and then increase the difficulty as the child gets used to the practice.

As for the autogenic method of Schultz, it is a relaxation exercise for children which can be used from approximately 6 years old. The technique is divided into two levels: the lower and the upper and it is based on the sensations of heaviness and heat.

Lying on the floor, the child is asked to concentrate on the areas of his body that seem to weigh the most (legs and arms) and which retain the temperature the most. Once he finishes evaluating this and considers himself free of tension and load, we can experiment with other parts of the body in the upper area of ​​the organism. In this way, we gradually relax all the muscles in the body.

To facilitate compliance with the instructions, we can tell the child that he must see himself as a robot, that he must move as if he were a branch and only with rigid movements. Then, to relax him, he converts into a rag doll where his body is limp and lacks muscle tension.

The game of Replay

The game of Rejoue is one of the most entertaining. In fact, it refers to “  replaying  ”, so let’s put it into practice!

This method is based on the fact that the essence of life is made up of pairs of opposites. Thus, we find cold-hot, day-night, black-white, activity-rest… This technique therefore brings together relaxation exercises for children based on these associations.

For this, a great deal of use is made of the scale, which consists of imitating the movements made by a rocking chair. The child thus puts into action almost all the muscle groups in order to go back and forth forwards, backwards, on one side and the other. This duality occurs when, on one side, the child must contract certain parts of his body, but on the other side, he must remain free of tension. This laxity will be the only way to properly achieve the swing.

Another game is stretching. We teach children to differentiate the sensations that are felt when stretching or relaxing. For example, they are asked to open their arms and stretch them as far as possible to each side. They must hold the position for several seconds. Then, they are asked to release the position slowly. They will feel tingling after performing it several times.

Activities between companions

Sometimes the children are running after each other and it is difficult to calm them down. It is even more difficult for them to maintain concentration after these moments of excitement. For this, the activity of the pen can be a very good ally in this kind of situation.

Its execution is very simple. This involves putting on some relaxing music and dividing the class into pairs. One member of each duo lies down on the ground and the other strokes their body with a feather to the rhythm of the music. Then they switch roles.

A game similar to this one is that of the soft ball which is also carried out in duet. A child lies on the ground with his eyes closed. The other massages the body of his comrade to the rhythm of the music with a small ball. As if he was soaping it up.

Viewing Pleasant Images

If there is one skill for which children are privileged, it is indeed imagination. They are so free and innocent that we can afford almost anything to relax them. In fact, a good way to do this is through visualization.

To do this, you have to lay them on the ground and ask them to concentrate on their breathing for a few minutes. Then we ask them to focus on what we are saying out loud. They are asked to imagine an immense and green field, a quiet meadow with perfectly cut grass. They are told to imagine the smell of this field, the way birds sing or the textures of flowers.

The visualization of images can have multiple applications and can have different versions with, for example, landscapes of beaches, mountains or particular smells. As we see, there are many possibilities when it comes to the imagination. The main objective is to allow children to have fun while relaxing.

In fact , they need to do it without feeling obligated to do so. For this, adults must do the same as them. Remember that imitation is the main source of learning for children. So, these relaxation exercises for children are also for adults because it is always good to keep innocence!

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