Month: September 2023

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💜 Congratulations to our featured coach – Lorraine Pellet 💜

Burgess Hill, West Sussex

Qualified June 2021

” Whilst working as a Learning Mentor in a large primary school, I discovered there was a need for helping young people find a place of calm. I used the Relax Kids’ books to run before school visualisation sessions to help the young people feel ready for their day. It was a few years later, that I read the back of the book and realised Relax Kids was a ‘thing’!

I changed jobs and time moved on, however I kept coming back to the idea of being a Relax Kids Coach. I qualified as a Drawing and Talking Practitioner and realised that quite a few practitioners were also Relax Kids coaches.  It gave me the push I needed to be brave and got for it!

I love seeing the changes Relax Kids makes to young people. For some they increase their confidence, explore their own voices and take ownership of believing in themselves. For others they begin to recognise the energy changes in their bodies are controlled by them and (for the most part) they can choose to energise themselves or tone it down to find a place of calm. The realisation that they have that power inside of them is just magical.

I was invited out of the blue, to run workshops for Reception up to Year 4 children for Children’s Mental Health week. This was a huge privilege and I absolutely loved the event! The comments I received from the children in the sessions were very special. The feedback from the Head Teacher was so positive, that I am looking to run a weekly class for them.

I run before and after school classes in local primary schools. I am invited to attend wellbeing events that children participate in with their parents.  Schools pay for blocks of work that fit with curriculum topics and events.  I also work 1 to 1 with children/young people at home.  

For me when I hear children say ‘I wish it was Relax Kids every day’ and ‘I believe in myself’ just honestly make my heart burst with pride that they feel that way.  To see a group of children interacting so positively together and bringing each other joy, is amazing.

Being a Relax Kids Coach has helped me grow as a person. I have become more confident in myself and truly believe I have something valuable to pass on to the next generation. The company rules have become part of my life and I am grateful for the changes that they have given me.

I take pride in my status as a Relax Kid Coach and absolutely remain committed to bringing peace and positivity to the next generation.”

www.facebook.com/relaxkidssussex

@relaxkidssussex

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Help my child feel confident

Affirmations are a brilliant way to help children build confidence.

An affirmation is a positive word or sentence that you repeat to yourself to help you feel better, feel confident and happy.

I always explain to children that Just as we eat healthy food to help our bodies grow strong and healthy so we have positive and happy thoughts to help our minds so we can grow up feeling strong and confident inside.

Affirmations are short statements of personal belief that make us feel good about ourselves and our abilities and achievements.

Top athletes use affirmations to help them achieve their goals and improve their performance.

Positive affirmations help us reduce negative self-talk and remind us of who we are, our greatness and what we want to achieve. The more we repeat happy and positive thoughts, the more happy and positive we feel.

The more we think happy and positive thoughts, the more likely we are to say positive words and so it perform positive actions. 

Ideally affirmations are in the present tense and first person.  So we say I AM CONFIDENT.  For a child who might not believe this, they can say I CAM BE CONFIDENT or I WILL BE CONFIDENT.

Try this CD which is full of positive affirmations and can be listened at any time – https://relaxkids.com/product/believe-and-achieve/

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What Parents Say

We are so delighted with the amazing response we have had from parents after using our books and CDs.  

Relax Kids is now used in over 500,000 homes and schools and this has happened mainly by word of mouth.  How?  Because it does work!

My daughter has been taking part in after school Relax Kids classes and really benefitted from it. We are hoping that toddler groups become developed too!!!

Rachael

My 3 love Relax Kids as they LOVE the CDs, and have we have nightly fun meditations!

Nicky Fraser

I was so excited I just had to write to you and let you know that we used the Relax Kids Self Esteem CD this evening with both my daughters and myself laying on the bed listening together. Both children take forever to settle at night, with really bad behaviour and running around, and general disobedience going on until sometime eleven at night and beyond. After just a couple of tracks, they were really enjoying them, taking time in between each track to describe how they felt to be sitting next to the shining star in the sky and coming up with the things they liked about themselves and each other. 

They loved the treasure chest track and were delighted when even their dad came and joined in for the last few exercises. The whole exercise, even for my cynical 11 year old was very uplifting with us all exchanging words of kindness and love to each other as both girls went happily off to bed. Best of all, I peeped in at them at 10pm and they were both fast asleep and no-one had gotten out of bed even once! Tonight, I am feeling positive and happy instead of sad and depressed. I really do think the Relax Kids CDs are amazing!

Caroline

We received the CD in mail last week and it is fabulous. My son, who is 12, gets anxious at night when he tries to quiet down to go to sleep. Instead of relaxing it is often the time when he thinks of everything from his day; what didn’t go right, what he may have forgotten, what worries him in the future etc.

The night we got the CD he played it at bedtime and it calmed him down and he drifted off to sleep. The second night, he asked his sister to listen to it with him before she went to bed because he thought it was so helpful. It is totally working for him. Over the weekend, our family started to get into a heated debate over dinner. He went up to his room, got the CD and asked us all to sit around the living room, listen to it and relax. We did and it was great. We picked the conversation back up with renewed peace of mind later on and resolved our issue. I am about to order another. I really do think the Relax Kids CDs are amazing!

Marilyn

We are enjoying presenting relax kids here with Chertsey Children’s centre Our parents and children’s Relax Kids sessions are going down well here as we are working on familial relationships which is my brief as parent coach here and we will send our lesson plans off to you guys soon to complete our registration for RKT licence. I invited my RKT business buddy Ruth to come over to join me in facilitating 4 sessions with children and parents so we could get the ball rolling and get some experience under our belt we are loving it and I am looking forward to children only sessions plus family sessions in the new year here and Ruth is planning to spread the word in Coulson!

Karen Henfrey

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Confidence boosters for kids

These 10 confidence tips can help you recognise and remember your strengths.

Here are some confidence boosters to keep you motivated and happy this season. You might like to try out some with you family.

1. Stand Tall – As you walk down the street, remember to stand tall and take in a deep breath. Imagine you are breathing in confidence!

2. Smile – Even if it is the last thing you feel like doing, keep smiling. Try and look for little things to smile about, smile at strangers. Just the act of smiling releases endorphins into your bloodstream.

3. Compliments – Every time someone pays you a compliment, accept it graciously and really own that compliment rather than disregard or laugh it off.

4. Diary – Keep a diary and try to note down all all your successes. Celebrate and reward your successes!

5. Friends – Surround yourself with positive and confident people who make you feel good about yourself. Do activities that encourage you to get out in nature and exercise. You might like create a ‘dream team’ – a group of people who support and motivate you and share your dreams and wishes. Share your ideas and dreams and make steps to make these into a reality.

6. Mirror – Look into a mirror and say ‘I love you’ Remind yourself of what makes you special. This is a hard one to start with, but will get easier with time.

7. Achievements – Make a book of your achievements, talents and qualities. List all your successes and things that you are proud of. List all the things that makes you the special person that you are and include all the things that you have done to others and how you have made others happy. You might like to put them in a book and refer to it when you are feeling low.

8. Talk – As much as possible talk to yourself in a kind and positive way. If you notice you talk to yourself in a negative way with put downs, try to stop and change it immediately.

9. Affirmations – Each day, repeat one positive statement or affirmation. You might say ‘I am positive and everything that happens is good’ or ‘I am special and I make a difference’ You might even like to theme your day as a positive, happy, confident, joyful or special day and do things that make you feel that way.

10. Visualise – Close your eyes and imagine you are standing in front of a mirror. See yourself standing tall, smiling and looking great. Notice how you feel. Let the positive and confident feelings wash all over you.

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A Monster Handbook

Get your claws on our book, ‘A Monster Handbook’

Everyone can experience horrible feelings within their body, we like to call these our monsters. Whilst adults can be more capable in dealing with their monsters, children might find it more difficult. Here at Relax Kids, we couldn’t accept that. We don’t want any children to suffer in silence and this is where the Monster Handbook comes in.

An interactive book, that is partially work based and partially activity based. It’s a toolkit to help children tame and train their monster emotions.

I like the pictures in the book, but I also like that there is space to draw your own so you can make it look like your own monster States Emily, aged 7

Written in a beautiful scrap book style, the Monster Handbook is bursting with positive exercises and actives to help children understand and work with their emotions. Each chapter covers a different feeling, such as sadness, anger, anxiety and worry, the book is written in a child like language, allowing it to be easily accessible to young families.

Its versatility allows it to be used in a number of environments, from the classroom to therapy sessions. It’s designed to be an ongoing toolkit to help children feel more in control of their emotions and feelings.

This soft back book is packed full of essential information, that every child aged between 5-9 deserves access to.

“ This book is brilliant and it can work for little kids as well as older ones. It is easy to understand and I think it will be very helpful” Added Emily.

If you feel that your monsters are getting the better of you,  you can purchase. A Monster Handbook here:  https://relaxkids.com/product/a-monster-handbook/

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Help children feel great this term!

How positive thinking can help children

Research has shown that children’s thoughts and statements can actually affect their physical feelings of anxiety.

When children say positive, affirming statements to themselves, they often feel less anxiety and feel more capable of handling stressful moments.

For example, a child who is able to say statements or affirmations such as, ‘I am confident and calm’ may be able to feel better than the child who continually says negative statements such as, ‘I am no good and can’t do it’.

https://relaxkids.com/product/star-cards/ are colourful cards that have positive statements or affirmations that have been designed specifically for children. Children can read the statements on the cards anytime.  They are a great start to the day or can be popped into their school bag or put up on the fridge or wall as an easy reminder to help them cope with whatever comes their way.

https://relaxkids.com/product/star-cards/ are a great tool for boosting children’s confidence and help them grow up feeling good about themselves.

Get your children a pack of Star Cards and help them go back to school feeling great!

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The Wishing Star – A Best Seller

A best selling book packed full with creative visualisations  and meditations 

The need for mindfulness and relaxation, especially in children, has soared over the past few years and we strongly believe it is something that deserves heaps of attention. A worrying statistic provided by anxietyuk.org.uk shows that 1 in 10 young people experience a mental health disorder.

This is something we feel needs improving, 10% of young people cannot suffer in silence. ‘The Wishing Star’, written by the founder of Relax Kids, Marneta Viegas, is designed to do just that, improve the mental well-being of children.

The Wishing Star is packed full of deep body relaxations, creative visualisations, as well as fantasy story meditations, designed to tackle anxiety and stress. Children can imagine they are lying amongst soft grass, sitting in a peaceful cave, watching a beautiful sunset and flying like a bird. It seems the perfect way to introduce mindfulness and meditation to young children.

The Wishing Star book is a highly imaginative and captivating book that holds children’s attention while allowing them to relax. It is an invaluable bedtime and classroom tool. Each relaxation lasts around 4-5 minutes and is perfect to bring rest and calm to the room.

‘Listening to these gentle visualisations helps children relax and calm their minds, and it’s not unusual for some of them to fall asleep at the end of my Relax Kids sessions.’ States Helen Morris, a Relax Kids coach.

This book is designed to engage children while introducing them to relaxation and simple stress-management techniques. Relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation and visual imagery have been shown to be extremely effective treatment components for reducing stress and anxiety in children. Research supports that mindful meditation calms the brain, inspires creativity and enhances cognitive and social-emotional skills. Practised regularly, these exercises can have a profound effect on children’s mental, emotional and physical well-being.

Aislinn Marek, another Relax Kids coach, says. ‘Using the visualisations at the end of a therapy session leaves the children feeling safe and content, as they make the transition back to school or home.’

The benefits to this book come in abundance, from improving sleep to boosting children’s concentration and focus. Whilst ultimately strengthening their emotional health and ability to cope with stress and anxiety.

The Wishing Star really is an outstanding book, it feels like it should be an essential part of any child’s upbringing.

Should you want to get your hands on a copy of the best selling book, ‘The Wishing Star’, or any other books written by the founder of Relax Kids, you can purchase them here – https://relaxkids.com/store/product-category/books/

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How to get children into a positive school routine

Make mornings easier for you and your child

Has your child gone back to school after a long summer break

Has your child started a new school? Or has your child started school for the first time?

Helping children get into a comfortable night time routine is important, especially at the beginning of a new school term. 

For children returning to school after a long summer break, getting back into the swing of things can be difficult. Or for children starting school, establishing a brand new routine can prove tricky.

But most parents will agree -better bedtimes make better mornings!

A full day at school can be tiring for children, so making sure they get enough sleep is important. However, in the summer when evenings are still light, it can be hard getting children off to sleep at a reasonable time. Our

https://relaxkids.com/product/quiet-spaces/Quiet Spaces CD is perfect for helping children unwind at bedtime. The deeply soothing tracks combine relaxing music with simple breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxations to help children fall asleep easily. Each track is set to an imaginative nature visualisation, such as floating on a cloud or soft bed of feathers.

Listening to this CD regularly will help your child ease into a bedtime routine. Children will begin to associate the tracks with bedtime. Here is what one parent thought of the a https://relaxkids.com/product/quiet-spaces/ Quiet Spaces CD.

“We have really struggled with bedtime and this CD has totally changed all our lives for the better. We now have a CD player on the landing and WOW the results are amazing! It’s so relaxing, so soft and gentle!” – Leslie, Parent

Here are some other ideas to help your child ease into a new school routine:

1. Pack their bag the night before

2. Make sure their homework is checked, permission slips signed, and sports kit ready the night before. 

3. Leave their bag by the front door, ready to go. This way, there are no regular disruptions to their morning routine -rushing around trying to find their sports socks, for example!

4. Don’t eat breakfast on the go! Sitting down to eat breakfast gives children time to wake up properly and think about the day ahead of them. You can talk to your children about what they are going to do, or what you might do together when they get home from school.

5. Invite a friend over to play after school. This will give them something to look forward to at the end of the day!

6. Look at a calendar together. Show children a calendar with the weekends and holidays on, so they know what they have to look forward to.

7.Give them something positive to remind them of home

8. Pop a special trinket or Star Card in their pocket, which can remind them of the security of home if they need it. For example, the “Brave Star”; card can help children worried about meeting new people. You can purchase Relax Kids star cards here: https://relaxkids.com/product/star-cards/