Month: November 2022

Teaching Children Mindfulness Appreciating each moment

An important part of mindfulness is staying present and appreciating the moment. Teaching this to children from a young age will help them manage stress and anxiety as they grow older. When we are in the moment, we are fully present and aware and open to the wonder of life.

One of our Relax Kids coaches Gillian in London has created a Moments Tree. We have all heard of Wishing Trees, Worry Trees and Gratitude Trees, but this is something very special and different.

Carpe Deum – Seize the Moment – Stay present in the moment!

Children can write their special moment experiences on cards and hang them from the branches.

The note below the tree says “This tree holds special moments for you to treasure.”

As Gillian says “This tree encourages children to collect moments rather than things for Christmas”

What a lovely way to celebrate advent after all, the present is a gift!

Christmas can be a wonderful time of year for most, but can also be overwhelming.

We have created a Bumper Christmas Pack with our beautiful Seasonal Meditation MP3 and 52 pages of activities and games to help your children manage their feelings and emotions during this busy and sometimes chaotic season. 

The 52 page pack is perfect for the classroom to help bring some calm and quiet during the busy and exciting run up to Christmas.

The Relax Bumper Christmas Pack includes:
Silent Nights MP3
Colouring sheets
Kindness Advent Calendar
Christmas Coupons
Christmas Scrabble
My Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Christmas Wheel
Christmas Wordsearch
Christmas Angel Activity
Christmas Affirmations
Christmas Wish List
Christmas Gift Cheques
Elf Letters
Christmas Cracker Kit
Elf Hat
Elf Mask
Reindeer Mask
Santa Beard
Christmas Games

Grab your bargain pack here!

Happy Black Friday! Happy Christmas!
Have a magical day,
The Relax Kids Team

Today is American Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving traditions go back to the English settlement Plymouth, Massachusetts, but today Thanksgiving is generally celebrated as a non-secular Harvest Festival. Thanksgiving is a day for families to come together and celebrate all the things they are thankful for.

Gratitude is an important attribute. It can be incredibly comforting to think about all the things we are grateful for, and often it can make us realise just how lucky we are!

Try this Relax Kids gratitude meditation at home with your children:

Close your eyes and be very still. Take in a deep breath and breathe all the way out. Breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly.

Now think of all the things in your life that you are grateful for. Think about having a home to keep you warm and safe, having people in your life that love you. Think about how lucky you are to have good food. Spend some time saying thank you quietly in your mind.

Now think about all your possessions and how lucky you are to have clean clothes and toys. Think about your favourite toy and feel so grateful and lucky.

Now, think about your friends and people that you laugh and play with. Feel yourself smiling inside as you think about your friends and how lucky you are to have special friends.

Spend a few moments thinking about all the special adventures and experiences that you have had recently. Where have you been that was special. What did you do that made you feel happy inside. Stay still and really appreciate how lucky you are to have these experiences.

As you sit there quietly, feel very calm and appreciative. Feel a warm feeling of gratitude surround you like a blanket. Continue to breathe in and out gently as you feel grateful and happy.

See how long you can keep this feeling for.

For more meditations for children, try our best-selling https://relaxkids.com/product/the-wishing-star/

”Imagination is more important than knowledge” -Albert Einstein

Theres no doubting that Albert Einstein was a genius. He knew that teaching creativity to children is vital to their emotional development, as well as their academic development.

Simply reciting learned facts and memorised sums might temporarily help children pass tests, but it will not help them develop their own learning style and creativity. Children need to have their imaginations stimulated regularly in order to grow. The imagination is like a muscle that needs to be worked out regularly!

Imagination gives birth to new ideas, creative problem solving and reasoning, and creative thinking, skills which are important for children’s ongoing academic success and helping them develop a life-long love of learning.

So how can I help stimulate my child’s imagination?

Read to your child. The Relax Kids Aladdin’s Magic Carpet book https://relaxkids.com/product/aladdins-magic-carpet/ contains 52 fairytales transformed into meditations. These stories ask your child to imagine they Aladdin on his magic carpet, or Jack climbing up the Beanstalk. Each story will help your child develop their imagination, while introducing them to simple relaxation techniques.

 Creative Writing! Writing helps children simultaneously develop language skills and broaden their imaginations. Why not have a go at writing with your children? Haikus are very simple, three-line poems.

We are also very excited to announce our new Affirmation Wall Chart is now available.

The Relax Kids Affirmation wall chart is one of our most popular products and it is so wonderful to hear stories of children using them each day. We received feedback that the calendar was too big and so we have halved the size and made it double-sided so there are 6 months on each side.

The wall chart is even more colourful and will fit perfectly on a fridge, cupboard or door. The Affirmation Wall Charts is a staple now in many Relax Kids homes, so now is the time to buy them ready for Jan 1st.

They are perfect for giving to your school or family or popping in a Christmas stocking.

Get your Wall Chart here: https://relaxkids.com/product/calendar/

Introducing Relaxation to Children with ADHD

You might think that Relaxation and ADHD don’t really go together, as children with the condition can find it difficult to sit still for more than a few minutes. However, Relax Kids products and exercises have had a remarkable impact on many children with ADHD.

 Symptoms of ADHD can appear in very young children, and most doctors agree that early intervention techniques (not including the use of prescribed medication like Ritalin) can be extremely beneficial for children with the condition.

 Studies have shown relaxation techniques to be a highly effective treatment for children with ADHD. These techniques can include breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and visualisation.

Introducing children with ADHD to meditation may seem like a difficult task, but the long term benefits are worth it! Children can learn simple but effective relaxation techniques that they will be able to use at times when you are not able to be with them, like at school or sports clubs.

 It is never too early to introduce children to relaxation. One study has found evidence that children as young as five, with or without ADHD, can learn, use and benefit from relaxation techniques.

 Relax Kids creates simple resources that teach children breathing exercises, affirmation exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and simple calming visualisations. Over time, children with ADHD will be able to use these techniques when they need to be still or when they need a moment of peace and calm.

 One of our trained Relax Kids coaches, Angela, has been working one-to-one with a boy who is in the process of being diagnosed with ADHD. She has seen amazing improvement in him after using the Relax Kids exercises and relaxation techniques for a few months. This is what she had to say:

Over the months I have watched Oliver grow in confidence within himself, he loves to lay on the floor and make-up stories. We always start by imagining we are walking up different coloured steps, each step has a positive word on, and we take in turns to say a colour and emotion (yellow- amazing, blue -super, green- incredible, red- happy, etc.) Then we take a few sentences each to create a magical story. He will be happy to do that for 20 minutes! When I first met him he would never have spent that time laying or even making up a story.

 Olivers mum can barely believe the positive difference in him! This is what she had to say:

Oliver has been attending Relax kids with Angela for nearly 9 months. From the first session he loved the concept and we feel it was just what he needed: calm, positive, gorgeous energy! Angela has reinforced what we believe at home, that he can succeed and fly given the right tools. Oliver is now having one-to-one sessions with Angela as we are in the process of a diagnosis for ADHD for Oliver. I can honestly say that I love the concept of Relax Kids and that in all my years of doing kids clubs with my 3 children I have never experienced anything like Relax Kids. To teach our children that they are all beautiful, perfect and that they all have the ability to find their inner peace and calm is such a life skill!’

If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, or is in the process of a diagnosis, why not send them to a Relax Kids class? Relax Kids classes take children from a high energy to a low energy, using movement, fun and games, breathing exercises, peer massage, affirmation activities, and finally relaxing visualisations.

 Our coaches are trained to work with children to help reduce hyperactivity and aid concentration skills. And like Angela, many of our coaches are available to work one-on-one with children who have additional needs.

If you would like to work with children and you think you have the potential to help children like Oliver, find out more about our training course and becoming a Relax Kids Coach: https://relaxkids.com/training/

💜 OUR BIG GIVEAWAY

To celebrate World Kindness Day, yesterday, we are running a Big Giveaway.

We have OVER £750 worth of prizes up for grabs.

We have 5 Christmas boxes (worth over £150 each) to giveaway. Each box is filled with Relax Kids books and CDs and a variety of magical Christmas items to help you prepare for Christmas.

To enter the big Giveaway, click here and leave your email before November 30th.

Names will be drawn on December 1st and winners will be announced and notified.

This giveaway is for residents of the UK only.

Good Luck!

What happens when you are stressed

When you are stress, your body releases adrenaline which increases your breathing and heart rate, getting you ready to defend yourself (fight) or run away (flight). You sweat more and mouth becomes dry.

It takes time for the body to recover and the adrenaline levels to subside.

If you are stressed on a long term basis, the body will continue to produce adrenaline which can have a negative effect on your physical and mental health.

Cortiso is another stress hormone that increases in the body when there is a threat or stress. Short-term, cortisol can help you deal with an immediate emergency by giving you a quick burst of energy, heighten your memory and awareness and reduce your sensitivity to pain. However, if you are stressed over a long period of time cortisol can have a negative effect on the body by lowering immunity, blurring thinking, decreasing muscle mass and bone density, increase fat storage and imbalance sugar levels.

Encourage children to learn how to manage stress.

What is stopping us being kind everyday…

Today is World Kindness day, a day where we promote and celebrate acts of kindness. Whilst this is all well and good, but why should we just dedicate one day, why shouldn’t every day be World Kindness Day?

The benefits of kindness are endless, not only does the person on the receiving end profit from it, but the person who is sharing it can also feel a sense of joy.

Being kind to others gives you a healthier heart and a happier mind. It also decreases negative aspects of life such as anxiety, depression and stress.

And how difficult is it to be kind? It doesn’t take a lot to smile at someone, let a car out in traffic, or give somebody a meaningful compliment. This small act may well make that person’s day and inspire them to do the same as you did. That knock on effect could mean everyone spreading kindness across the globe.

Does anybody have a viable excuse not to be kind? We have our bad days, but there is no need to bring others into it. In fact, doing a positive thing for someone else may actually make us feel better.

So instead of celebrating kindness for just one day, let’s spread kindness every single day of our lives!

Teaching children to be grateful

It is so easy to focus on what we don’t have in this modern world and forget the incredible things we do have.

Encouraging children to be grateful is the first step in helping them to learn the meaning of internal happiness.

Children can make their own Gratitude Box and add items and words and notes to help them maintain an attitude of gratitude.

Let children find and decorate a box. ;They can add their gratitude list or write all the things they are grateful for on their box. Items such as chars to symbolise what they are grateful for can be added to the box.

Children can also make gratitude cards and place them in the box.

Let children add to their Gratitude Box every day or week, and watch how it fills over the months.

and mindfully ever present

As a child, did you love listening to and reading fairy stories? Despite their dark undertones, fairytales gave us a feeling of safety and security as we heard stories of witches, goblins, giants and trolls. Do you remember being drawn to the concept of living happily ever after. Cinderella skipped off in her glass slippers with her prince, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty awoke with one kiss while the Beast and frog turned into beautiful princes.

We long for that world where we can be truly happy, feel deeply loved and understood, be at peace and have all our wishes and dreams fulfilled.

However, if we take time to stop, we might just be able to notice that we can choose to be happy now in this moment. We can bring that feeling of happily ever after to the present rather than wishing, hoping and wanting it for the future.

Moments of mindfulness can bring that sense of peace and happiness to the present. When we become aware of our breathing, we get a deeper sense of the wonder and beauty of being alive. Mindfulness breathes life into our life, where we awaken like Sleeping Beauty from a slumber. Mindfulness allows us to walk on this earth, being aware of every step and sensation. Even without glass slippers, each step can be one filled with joy. Mindfulness allows us to stop, smell the roses and bite into and enjoy a rosy red apple.

May we all live happily ever present!

What to expect when you’re expecting …to take our training!

If you’ve been following our series of training blogs, you’ll be looking for information about what a Relax Kids training course actually includes.

Our full day training course is fun, learning, and relaxation.

You will be expected to get fully involved and give your mental, physical and creative all! Our course takes you through our seven steps of:

Move – Play – Stretch – Feel – Breathe – Believe – Relax

Each stage is exhaustively explored, with coaches acting out and taking part in the activities the kids will themselves do during Relax Kids sessions. This is a full on day, so remember to wear comfortable bottoms and trainers! If you have any mobility problems, or don’t feel comfortable sitting on the floor for long stretches of time, don’t worry! Each of our venues can provide chairs to accommodate you, and you’re more than welcome to bring your own cushions and supports to the class.

MOVE

Can you fizz like lemonade, stomp like an angry giant, or be a floppy puppet? If not, you’ll quickly learn in the move section, which focuses on physical warm-ups for your Relax Kids sessions

PLAY

Growl like a tiger, walk tall like a giraffe, crawl like a worm on the floor! Yes, that’s you as well as the kids! Learn dozens of brilliant games to foster a sense of class community and fun for your sessions

STRETCH

It’s time to take it down a notch while still staying active and physical. Our trainer will take you through easy, simple, and kid-friendly yoga poses, like Tall Trees, Mighty Mountains, and Serene Swans. This stage of the class will help to start rein in your kids energy levels.

FEEL

This is usually our busy coaches favourite part of the day. With your permission, take part in clothed massage with the other trainers. Learn the best techniques to release tension, de-stress and promote relaxation. Enjoy the endorphins that come from positive physical touch.

BREATHE

Take a moment to take a deep breath. And another. And another. This stage of the training teaches our coaches those all-important breathing exercises that promote physical and mental relaxation and tie in to both the preceding and following stages.

BELIEVE

It is important to give yourself the self-affirmations we need on a daily basis. Whether your hair isn’t playing ball, or you’re just feeling a bit down, it’s very important to remind yourself of the love and positivity all around you; of your own and others unique worth. Learn kid-friendly affirmations that will help them build confidence and tackle self-esteem issues.

RELAX.

And relax. You’ve earned it. Learn how to give a guided meditation or visualization session for children, whilst enjoying the tranquility it brings to you as well.

Once you’ve learned all of these techniques, you’re almost ready to go.

Our second part of the training gives you the nuts and bolts and practical information so necessary to starting up your own business. Learn about the best way to advertise, how to build relationships with local schools and yoga studios, and get information on pricing and class sizes from out experienced trainers.

After all of this, it’s time to go on your own adventure. Set off into the world, and start your own classes. And always remember to Relax, Kids!

Do you get the feeling of a huge pit opening in your stomach every time you walk into a Hospital? 

Although we at Relax Kids greatly appreciate the work that doctors and nurses do to look after us all, we can’t help but feel a little nervous whenever we have to go to a Hospital. Just imagine how scary it can be for a child with a chronic illness or disease and having to deal with all of the unpleasant and painful procedures while not really understanding what’s going on, and feeling very ill to boot.

It’s these sorts of challenging situations where a creative and unconventional approach can be really productive. For many children with serious conditions and diseases, Relax Kids has offered peace and relief. Here are just a few of our success stories.

A 10-year-old boy was diagnosed with cancer, and after lots of blood tests developed a needle phobia. On Christmas day, he was rushed back into hospital. The staff needed to do more tests and administer emergency medication through a cannula. The boy refused everything and was angry and frightened. He was about to be sedated when his Mother decided to talk him through one of his Relax Kids meditations. The hospital staff were all amazed as he had his tests and scans with no problems or anxieties.

One little boy, who has a serious medical condition, required regular injections. From this, he had developed a severe needle phobia. However, after discovering Relax Kids, what would normally be a traumatic experience having his cannula inserted became a painless and tranquil session as he listened to his favourite Relax Kids CD. His father Colin said, “He was almost oblivious and I wanted to tell you how grateful I am that there is such a tool!”

An 8-year-old boy was suffering from tinnitus, making it difficult for him to get to sleep. His ENT specialist suggested music and playing Relax Kids CDS. It has helped him relax at bedtime, and has reduced his anxiety about his condition. His mother said: He often asks if he can have it on when he is gong to bed.

Have you got any amazing stories to share with us? Let us know in the comments or on one of our Facebook groups!

Make sure your child has the best day ever with these good habits.

Relax – Ask your child to lie in bed and relax and breathe just for a minute or two.

Stretch – While they are in bed, let them stretch like a cat. They can stretch in anyway that feels good. Stretching is great to help calm the mind and wakes up the body.

 Drink – We become dehydrated during sleep so make sure your child drinks a glass of water that has been left by the bed. This will give their brain and brain a boost.

Say THANK YOU- While they are getting ready, remind them to be grateful for all the good things in their life. Older children could write three things in their gratitude diary and younger children can tell you what they are happy for in their life.

 Mirror Mirror – When they are looking in the mirror brushing their hair or teeth, remind them to say or think things that they love abut themselves.

Let’s get splashing

There is one thing we can count on, and that is, we can expect our fair share of rainy days. Ee’ve compiled a small, yet useful, list of things to occupy your children on a rainy day.

Bake/Cook Something

Whilst being a whole lot of fun, this can also double up as a valuable life skill. Whether you are cooking up a delicious dinner or a sumptuous sponge cake, this can occupy you and your little ones for hours on end. It is a fantastic way to bring everyone together, delegating a task to each person gives everyone a part to play. And what better reward for your hard work? FOOD!

Build a Den/Pillow Fort

If you didn’t do this at least once in your childhood, you’ve definitely been missing out. Gather some dining room chairs to act as the walls, then hang bedsheets over the top to become the roof, collect some pillows and what have you got? Your very own little kingdom. What to do in your new kingdom? Well that leads us nicely onto number three.

Read a Book

You’ll struggle to find a better past time than reading a good book, find the right one and you can get lost in its story for hours on end. Best yet, it’s great for relaxing the mind and it holds educational values that other activities may not. Is there a better way to spend a rainy afternoon than with your favourite book?

Board Games

Much like the cooking activity, this next one can involve the whole family having fun together. Dust off the old Monopoly box and you can play for the majority of afternoon. If Monopoly isn’t your cup of tea, then games like Connect Four or Jenga are great fun, whilst also stimulating the brain.

Movie Day

This one is perfect if you aren’t feeling super creative. Relaxing on the sofa with lots of snacks, snuggled up in a cosy blanket, watching you favourite film, will make the rainy day drift away.

Well, there you have it, five, free, easy and fun things to do on a rainy day. They may not be ground breaking, but they’ll definitely occupy an afternoon or two!