As parents, we all have some strategies to help our little ones regulate their big emotions as they happen, but wouldn’t it be great if we could be proactive in helping them to minimise their emotional escalations so that this is the exception in their lives, rather than their standard state of being?

Helping our children to create calm in their inner worlds goes a long way towards creating safety because it can help to:

  • Regulate the nervous system
  • Reduce stress and panic
  • Allow space for rational thinking
  • Reduce spontaneous decisions and risk-taking behaviour
  • Support positive identity formation
  • Build resilience
  • Promote positive mental health
  • Support positive physical health

Here are some wonderful mindfulness activities that you can implement within your family today:

Mindful awareness

Setting: When engaging in an outdoor activity, such as going for a walk or having a picnic.

  1. Close your eyes
  2. Take a deep breath in and out through your nose
  3. Focus on something you can hear (eg a bird chirping) and describe it to each other
  4. Focus on something you can feel (eg the breeze on your face) and describe it to each other
  5. Together, take another deep breath in and out through your nose whilst you focus on the feeling of your feet (or backside!) on the ground
  6. Invite them to slowly open their eyes with you
  7. Recognise the feeling of calm you are experiencing following the activity
  8. Get back on with your day

Mindful eating:

Setting: When eating a small piece of chocolate or preferred fruit.

  1. Close your eyes
  2. Inhale deeply and smell a small piece of fruit or chocolate
  3. Place it in your mouth without swallowing (beware of choking hazards!)
  4. Hold the piece in your mouth and focus on how it feels on your tongue
  5. Move your tongue around to feel the texture and different angles and shapes of the food
  6. Chew the food slowly and notice the changes in taste and texture as you do this
  7. When ready, swallow the chewed food and appreciate the taste
  8. Take a few breaths in and out through the nose after swallowing to savour the taste and notice how it changes as an aftertaste
  9. Open your eyes

Progressive muscle relaxation

Setting: At bedtime after any bedtime stories or activities.

Warning: May result in a state of sleep!

  1. Lay down and close your eyes
  2. Take a deep breath in and out through the nose
  3. As you take your next breath in, focus on your feet
  4. As you take your next breath out, release all tension in your feet and let them completely relax
  5. Do the same for each body part, working from feet to head:
    • Calves
    • Thighs
    • Hips and buttocks
    • Belly
    • Chest
    • Hands
    • Arms
    • Shoulders
    • Neck
    • Face and head
    1. Take one final deep breath in and out
    2. Notice the feeling of relaxation in your body, and readiness for sleep

    Meditation

    Setting: A quiet, safe space.

    1. Sit or lay in a comfortable and supported position, and close your eyes
    2. Take three deep breaths in and out through the nose
    3. Imagine you are sitting by a gently flowing river
    4. You can hear birds singing and the sound of the river flowing
    5. The occasional leaf drops from the trees on the riverbanks and lands in the water
    6. The water carries each leaf away down the stream
    7. Allow any thoughts that creep into your mind to land on one of those leaves and be carried away down the stream
    8. Draw the focus back to your breath and the flowing river
    9. Continue for 1-5 minutes, depending on age and ability
    10. Slowly come back into the room by saying goodbye to the river, with a promise to return soon
    11. Reintroduce movement by gently moving your hands and feet, and moving your head from side to side
    12. Gently open your eyes when ready
    13. Talk about the feeling of relaxation following the activity, before moving on with the day

    Adopt some or all of these strategies within your family today to experience a calmer, more emotionally regulated environment for you and your children.


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    The larger our village, the safer the world will be for all of our children.