Month: March 2022

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5 Ways To Improve Your Happiness

The 20th of March marks International Day of Happiness, a day which is celebrated worldwide to inspire and encourage a global happiness movement. Happiness is one of the most important emotions and this year’s theme is ‘sharing happiness’ – focusing on the importance of relationships, kindness and helping each other.

At the best of times, some of us struggle to express our happy emotions, so here at Relax Kids Head Office, we’ve created a short list of five ways to improve our happiness.

Meditation

Meditation is a fantastic way to channel your happiness. Try to take anywhere from three to five minutes in the morning or evening to clear your mind through meditation. It’s also a perfect way to reduce stress and improve concentration.

Gratitude Lists

How often do you take a moment to look back on what you are grateful for? It’s common for a lot of us to take things for granted and not appreciate how lucky we are compared to others. Writing a small list of things you are grateful for each evening, such as the clothes you are wearing or the roof over your head, can help build your happiness.

Start a Journal

Similar to gratitude lists, writing on a piece of paper helps you visualise. Purchase a nice notebook and a pen and begin to write a journal. Note down what is affecting you, what your goals are or even just what you have done that day.

Random Acts of Kindness

Sometimes there is no better way to make you happy than making others happy, that feeling you get is like no other. We suggest trying to commit random acts of kindness as much as you possibly can. No matter how big or small, no act of kindness is ever wasted. Whether you do something small like give up your seat on the train, or whether it’s something more substantial like paying for the coffee for the person behind you in the queue. Each act of kindness is going to boost your happiness significantly.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the moment. It allows you to take note of some of the small aspects you’d never think to notice. And one of the best things about mindfulness is that you can be mindful anywhere! Next time you’re walking, try to take note of the sounds you hear, the colours you see, the feeling of the ground under your feet. Or when you are eating, take notice of the textures, the flavours and the different colours of the food.

What would you add to the list of ways to improve happiness?

Our Elevator of Happiness album is the perfect for celebrating World Happiness Day, You can purchase the CD or MP3 from our online store.

Also why not read our book – How to be Happy. It’s packed with lots of activities to help us be happy all year round.
You can purchase the book here.

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Happy World Sleep Day!

During the day we use up so much energy thinking at school, playing in breaks, eating, taking lessons after school and by the end of the day, our bodies are like a car that has nearly run out of petrol.  They are tired and ready to stop.

Explaining the importance of sleep to your child

Once they know the effect it has on their body and mind, they may start to appreciate it.

Explain that sleep helps our bodies stay healthy and fight sickness. The body needs sleep so our bones and muscles can grow. Our bodies are repairing any injures that happen during the day while we sleep.

Sleep is vital for the brain so we can remember things, concentrate, learn, solve problems and come up with brilliant ideas.

We go to sleep and fill up on petrol so we are ready and full of energy for a new day of activity.

During the day, it is light and this is the time to be awake. Sunlight lets our brains know that it is time to wake up but when the day turns to night, our brain makes a chemical melatonin which makes us sleepy.

We need it to be dark to sleep. A dim nightlight is fine, but as we need to keep the room as dark as possible so we get the best sleep.

If you can’t get to sleep, you can try lying on your back and breathing in and out slowly and deeply. Close your eyes and say, ‘I am relaxed, I am relaxed, I am relaxed’. You could even count sheep slowly. Imagine you can see sheep jumping over a fence and see how many you can count as each one jumps over a fence.

Here is a great relaxation to read to your child to help them sleep.

The Robot (Featured in Quiet Spaces and the Wishing Star)

Close your eyes, be very still and imagine that you are a robot. Your whole body is made of metal. The lights on your arms and legs and stomach are flashing brightly. The robot also makes all sorts of beeping and bleeping noises. It is a very noisy robot.

Now you are going to see if you can switch the robot off and make every part of your body completely still. Start with your right leg – bring all your attention to your right leg and turn off the switch. Your right leg becomes totally still.

Repeat with your left leg.

Our top Sleep Products

Relax & Sleep MP3 – Guided visualisations for a restful sleep. Relax Kids have been putting millions of children to sleep for twenty years and we have compiled all our best sleep tracks in one audio to help guide your child into a restful and relaxing sleep.

Quiet Spaces MP3/CD – Our #1 selling Relax Kids album is a family favourite. This album is full of deep body relaxations which help children feel calm and quiet naturally. This album is designed to relax children while introducing them to simple stress-management and mindfulness techniques. Ps. Don’t buy unless you are ready for a good night’s sleep.

Better Sleep Pack – The Better Sleep Pack helps prepare your child for happy restful sleep. It is full of exercises to help them feel more calm and comfortable. Activities help create good sleeping habits whilst educating the importance of sleep.

Wishing you a good night’s sleep!

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3 Simple things your child wants and needs.

There are three things that every human being strives for in their life: Love, Peace and Happiness.

We spend our lives working hard to pay for things that we are told will make us more peaceful and happy.

At Relax Kids we believe that the only way we can experience lasting happiness and peace is by going deep inside to the core of our being which is in fact peace.

Relax Kids shows children (and adults), that these three experiences can be found inside, during the practise of being still and quiet. Children can learn to enjoy a world where they can be happy, peaceful and secure without needing the latest gadgets and designer gear.

Deep down every adult knows that the adverts are selling us false dreams of ultimate love and happiness and we fall again and again, wishing, hoping and dreaming that if we just have this car or shampoo or face cream then we will be happier and more peaceful in our lives.

Relax Kids aims to challenge this way of thinking and give the next generation the power to create their own peace, love and happiness and pass on this amazing secret to future generations.

We love teaching classes where we can teach children these three key qualities. Watching children’s faces when they experience the beauty of these simple qualities is wonderful.

One little boy said after listening to a Relax Kids CD ‘WOW everyone would say to me ‘be peaceful’ but I didn’t understand what it was. Now I can see it’s something very special.’

Another teenager remarked after relaxing and experiencing peace that ‘it was better than drugs!’ WOW!

Find a Relax Kids Coach in your area. Click Here

Check out our Relax Kids audio range. Click Here

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 Deep Breathing – tools to manage stress 

Deep breathing is a fantastic way to help manage stress and anxiety. It is impossible to be in a state of high emotion when breathing deeply.

Here are some simple tips to encourage your child to breathe deeply.

1. Encourage your child to take in conscious deep breaths. You can model this, showing them how to breathe in deeply, keeping the shoulders down and breathe out as slowly as possible. (in through the nose and out through the mouth).

2. As they take in a deep breath through their nose, ask them to tighten and relax different parts of the body. You could turn this into a relaxing game by calling out different body parts – jaw, face, arm, lips, shoulders, toes, hands, legs.

3. Ask your child to imagine the breath is a colour and let them breathe that colour in.

4. They could imagine the breath is their favourite smell as they breathe in deeply and slowly.

5. Your child could imagine the breath is warm or cool as they take in their deep breaths.

6. As they breathe out, they could hum or hiss like a snake softly and slowly.

7. Encourage children to be aware of their tension and stress so when they feel tense they can self nurture and breathe in deeply and send their breath to that part of the body.

We do incorporate breathing exercises in our Relax Kids audios – you could try our Relax and De-stress album.

Click here for the Relax and De-stress MP3
Click here for the Relax and De-Stress CD

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Happy Pancake Day!

Pancake Day is a wonderful family tradition.

Pancake day is here – but whether you are opting for home made treats or shop bought batter, get stuck in and enjoy this great day! Traditionally Shrove Tuesday was the beginning of lent – where you use up your flour, eggs and butter. It is now widely celebrated all over the world, with other countries favouring more savoury fillings – including chickpeas, salmon, curry, salad and more!

Pancake day doesn’t have to be an unhealthy one. You can still use it as an opportunity to give your kids 1 of their 5 a day. I love bananas and chopped nuts with my pancakes, but other options could include warm apple and cinnamon, tinned fruits, dried fruits with a big blob of natural yoghurt or for the chocoholics amongst you, Nutella is a fab way of getting that cocoa fix and some of your calcium for the day!