Relax Kids Salisbury with CJ

09/12/2023

What if you pick up your child after a Relax Kids session and they don’t seem that calm or relaxed? 🤯

Don’t worry. They will have taken more from it than you think.

Some children need to come along more than once to get used to the 7 steps of Relax Kids and how it works. Some children may feel calm and relaxed at the end of the first ever session they attend. All children respond differently.

While Relax Kids can benefit EVERY child, not every child wants to do it. And that’s okay.

Before you arrived… you may not have spotted them staying still for a few moments during the session. Or seen how calmly and intently they were listening to the chime of my Magic Bowl. They may have perked back up at the end, excited to see you and it would be easy to think that “it didn’t work”, because they aren’t Zen-like or moving slowly.

I promise, your child will have gained something from coming along. You or I (or even they) may not know what it is yet, but they will have taken what they needed from that session on that particular given day 💜

06/12/2023

Our seventh and final step is Relax. These are our visualisations for deep relaxation, imagination and peace. By this point in the session, the children have moved from their high energy state at the beginning to a low energy state of calm.

The children are always happy when we get to Relax because they know they get a chance to lie down and unwind. Whenever we can, we have a soft blanket and pillow to make ourselves cosy and help us relax.

They listen to a guided visualisation to help develop their imagination and creativity and give them the rare opportunity to switch off and relax. Some children have even been known to be so relaxed that they have fallen asleep (and been tricky to wake to go home!)

02/12/2023

The best feedback for my sessions comes from the children themselves 💜 A few wrote down their thoughts for me…

One girl wrote that she felt worried at first and then she felt calm and then she felt relaxed and then she was positive. She had never been before and did such an amazing job going from feeling quite nervous to really joining in and having a great time. I was so proud of her 🌟

One boy (who also came along for the first time) wrote that he thought he quite enjoyed Relax Kids, especially the relaxing and colouring. He even drew me a picture which I loved! 🌈

If you’d like your child (aged 5 to 11) to give Relax Kids ago, I have 2 LAST SPACES available in my Christmas Holiday Workshop on Saturday 16th December from 9.00am until 10.30am. Drop me a message to grab one of them! 😌

29/11/2023

Our sixth step is Believe. These are our affirmations for self-esteem, confidence and positivity. This is a personal favourite of mine and I love incorporating games into our affirmations to make them even more fun. We always have affirmations ready to go, but some children like to make up their own (they’re so creative)!

In our sessions, sometimes we practise changing our negative statements into positive ones. So “I am no good at this” becomes “I am still learning”! The power of positive self-talk is incredible and it’s amazing watching the children gain in confidence every time they say an affirmation out loud.

25/11/2023

Are you a natural born hugger? If not, it may not feel so easy. But I promise it’s worth a try, especially with our children. Hugging releases oxytocin (or the “cuddle hormone”) which promotes feelings of calm and relaxation. It’s amazing how powerful a hug can be and how much we all really need them (even if we don’t realise it) 💜

22/11/2023

Our fifth step is Breathe. These are our breathing exercises for improved health, anxiety and inner calm. This is one of the most powerful steps in terms of giving the children tools that they can take away with them and use after the session.

Some of the tools we learn about involve using fun props like fluffy feathers or an expanding breathing ball. But a lot of the tools we learn can be done anywhere and anytime, without any props at all. The children know that they have these at their disposal whenever they need to ”Calm their Meerkat”.

We practise the breathing techniques together during the session. Children are so proud to come back and let me know they’ve used one during the week (it’s one of the great joys of seeing children for a 5 week block). It’s amazing to hear how they not only took the tools on board, but used them in the real world. The more they can practise these techniques to regulate their emotions, the more easily they can access them when they need them most 💜

20/11/2023

Happy World Children's Day!!! Here's to supporting our amazing children and their mental health

Supporting World Children's Day - , Every Right!

On World Children's Day, let's unite in support of every child's right to a happy, healthy, and hopeful future. Together, we can create a world where every child is cherished, protected, and empowered to dream big. 🌈💜

18/11/2023

Such brilliant feedback from one of the Mums after her son came along to try Relax Kids for the first time in one of my holiday workshops (massive thanks for taking the time to leave it as I know how busy life is!). 💜

It’s really quite magical how the 7 steps works with a child’s natural energy system and takes them from high energy movement and play at the start all the way down to calm and relaxation at the end 🌈

16/11/2023

Our fourth step is Feel. This is either self-massage or peer massage (with consent), for self-awareness, empathy and respect.

We talk about consent and boundaries at the start of this step, to ensure that anyone who is taking part in peer massage has given their permission (and the children know they can also change their mind and say “no” at any point).

It’s amazing to either see the children in a line, joining in the peer massage along to our story, or realising the power of their own touch in self-massage. This is a step that the children often take home with them to share with family and friends!

16/11/2023

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind” -

Supporting

Fill this week with kindness 💜

14/11/2023

With just under a month to go, I'm now taking bookings for my Relax Kids Christmas workshop! For children aged 5 to 11, we will be doing an hour of Relax Kids and half an hour of creative Christmas crafts 🌟

We will be going through the 7 steps of relaxation to take children from high energy movement and fun to low energy calm and relaxation (please see my other posts for details or message me for more information) 💜

Relax Kids gives children tools and techniques to help them manage their big emotions as well as boosts their confidence and self-esteem. The session also gives children a much needed chance to relax and unwind (which they so rarely get in our busy world!) 😌

There are only 10 spaces available, so please message me (or email relaxkidssalisbury@gmail.com) to grab one early if you'd like your child to come along and start the Christmas holidays off with something different this year 🌈

11/11/2023

It’s nice when my food talks to me. This was when some non-dairy crème fraiche congratulated me for choosing it the other day. I don’t know why, but it made me smile 😊

How often do we get congratulations for how we’re doing in life? And even when we do, how often do we graciously accept it? Sometimes, it’s just the little things. Even if that means a pat on the back from a pot 💜