Relax!

breathing as another tool to help children learn how to relax. Here's what she says in her interview:

Basically it [breathing] helps to slow down the nervous system, and slow down that feeling of anxiety that we feel when our hearts start to race and we're breathing really fast. Here's How: Ask a child to sit in a chair and put her hands on her chest and take a deep breath in. Ask her to pretend her body is like a building and on the first breath she is filling the first floor with air, then blowing it out. On the second breath in, she fills the second floor. And so on until she's all the way in the attic, filling the attic with air and blowing it out. By repeating this several times, she can calm herself down. Kids can do this on their own, say in a classroom, when they're feeling nervous about taking a test. And this is a technique they can use for a lifetime. (Source: De-Stressing Today's Kids by Erica Heilman)

Now It's Up to You

This article offered only a few suggestions for ways you can help your children (and yourself) cope with and manage the stressors in your lives. It's up to you now to take the lead and guide your children to a healthier, happier way of life.

Check out these site for further information:

• Invest In Kids Site Article: 8 Two-Minute Relaxation techniques
• Child Stress Site Great info and interactive pages for kids and parents who want to learn how to deal with stress.

Happy Relaxing!

The copyright of the article Relax! in Single Parent Activities is owned by Kim Martin. Permission to republish Relax! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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