There are different calming ideas we can teach children so they can learn how to be calm in challenging situations. Build them into the daily routine until they become a habit.
Children can be hard work. Whether they are at home or school, children can be challenging. But they can be more challenging if the adults around them also find it hard to be calm.
The great news is, children can be taught to develop skills they can use to stay calm when faced with challenges, or just to use in everyday situations. They are even pretty good at teaching us adults to stay calm at times.
Challenge yourself, to learn how to be calm together, by trying out some of these activities.
Make sure they get enough sleep
Sticking to a good routine for sleep is not just good for children, it’s good for us adults as well. So setting a good example for them, will help them develop their own good habits. Dim the lights, reduce screens about an hour at the very least before bed, and have some sort of wind-down practice to end the day in a calming way.
Getting adequate sleep affects what we do the next day, down to our food choices, how we learn, how we concentrate, and whether we have enough energy for exercise or not. If children don’t get enough quality sleep, it can be difficult for them to concentrate at school and have the energy to run around. They need to run around to burn off energy to help them sleep at night. It’s an ongoing cycle and sticking to a routine helps.
Reduce stimulation to promote feelings of calm
Too much external noise can make it hard for some individuals to focus and reset especially if they have come from a stressful event or situation. There’s a lot going on in the world right now so giving children a chance to reduce some of the ‘external noise’, can give their little brains a break for a while. Just like us, they need time to reset, refocus, and get on with things. Teach them that it’s ok to reduce this noise, gather themselves up, and move on.
Use headphones and calming music to help when needed.
Exercise helps calm us down in the longrun
Getting creative with different movement ideas, can help both us adults and children. Movement can help us to relax, improve our focus and concentration, and is a great way to bring us all together. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Getting outside for any kind of exercise can help relieve stress and tension, promote better sleep, and increase a child’s exposure to the sun which helps the body produce the much-needed hormone, Vitamin D.
For more ideas on creative movement ideas for adults and children, check out the following post –
Creative Movement Ideas for Adults and Children
Music to calm the brain and body
Music that’s 80 beats per minute is good for slowing down the heart rate. It can help us feel calmer because it’s similar to the beat of our heart. I guess that gives us a feeling of comfort. If you have an app like Spotify, you can search for 80 beats per minute or 80 BPM, and a group of playlists will come up. Download some and give them a go. Set up your own playlist so it’s easy to access when needed.
Nature has a calming effect on our physical and mental health
Get the children outdoors in any way you can. Move away from artificial light and into the natural light when possible.
Playing with our pets can help us feel calm
Just playing with or patting our furry friends, can help us feel calmer. Having a pet can also help reduce anxiety as just being near them can help bring us into the present moment. They can make a massive difference to children’s mental health, can make them laugh, and they are more likely to act calm just to keep their furry friends close by. They are also great company if we feel lonely, and are good listeners when no one else is around.
Getting enough sunlight helps children with sleep
Getting enough sleep helps children feel calmer the next day. We all know how hard it is, but we have to try. To relax in the evening, it’s important the little ones are kept to a nice calming schedule. Dimming the lights when the sun goes down can help get them ready for sleep. Same goes for the bedroom. A bath or shower in the evening followed by reading can help keep children calm and relaxed. Getting rid of those screens can help as the blue light that’s behind the screen can hurt their eyes and disrupt the sleep cycle.
Here’s what those pesky screens can do to our health if we watch them for too long-
Sleep is essential to our immune system functioning properly. Try to get outside in the sun during the day with your clan. This helps regulate the circadian rhythm, which is our internal clock thingy, that helps our body know if it’s night or day. Make it a habit.
Creativity to calm the mind
I believe that we are all creative in some way. I think our busy lives make creativity difficult because there is always something else to do or there are pressures in our lives. These pressures on us, young or old, disrupt our thought processes making creativity hard.
When I was a teacher, I taught many children from very difficult home lives. Their traumatic background or unsettled living conditions made learning very difficult, and creativity, almost impossible. How can we expect ourselves, let alone young people, to be creative when there is so much going on for them. That’s why, creating a calm environment conducive to promoting creation rather than crippling it, is essential.
When children have a calmer brain, they are better able to use their creativity to solve problems. We are all creative creatures, but if we’re overwhelmed, our creative genius goes inside. When children (and us adults) are calm, thinking outside the box is easier. It makes it easier to connect the dots on information, which can then be used to create solutions. The world needs this kind of thinking so having strategies to promote it, is a must in today’s world.
Stay positive – it helps children feel calm
We are all in a different situation, so what might work for one family or one child, may not work for a friend or family member. Adjusting strategies to fit our unique situation is essential. To lift everyone’s mood, and promote feelings of calm, watching funny movies or video clips to relax can help.
Laughter can help reduce feelings of stress, which then has a positive knock-on effect on our immune system. An improved immune system can help us fight infection and disease, by increasing immune cells and antibodies. So… maybe laughter, IS the best medicine! Line up some funny clips, games or movies and enjoy them together.
Breathing for a calm, calm, calmer mind
Children can be taught to focus on their breathing to feel calmer. I’ve done this with lots of children when I was teaching. They not only feel calmer, they actually looked forward to the times they could do it.
I found it easy to use a script to read from when teaching them but now we have plenty of apps that can be used for different breathing activities. Check out some of these ideas below and get started.
bottom line
Do what works for you. No one wants to feel chaotic yet it has been somehow glorified in our society. When we are calmer, those around us will be calmer. Children learn by what’s happening around them. If we can practise being calm, they will pick up on it. It’s a process of teaching them skills, learning at the same time, and having the belief that it’s possible.
more info
For a more detailed look into what each strategy is and how it can be implemented, please check out my 4-Page ‘Calming Ideas’ InfoEBook on Etsy. Click the image below to go straight to the store.
Related post for us adults –
Ways to Look After Ourselves First
Self-care of ourselves is needed so we can then be able to care for those around us.
So whether we are supporting children to find calm or supporting ourselves to be calm ;p doing what works for us, is important. We are all in different situations across the world so just keep trying something until it works for you.
And remember, always reach out for support when you need it.
For more resources, visit my Etsy store
Click the link below to go straight there.
