Photo credit: www.mindful.org
Explore this engaging mindfulness activity designed for families, aimed at helping children navigate difficult feelings and reduce stress.
Key Points:
- Mindful breathing and counting offer a sense of security and tranquility for children experiencing anxiety or stress.
- Participating in mindfulness exercises as a family enhances emotional connections and builds resilience.
- The Calming Hands exercise helps children manage intense feelings through a blend of breathing techniques, counting, and artistic expression.
Mindfulness can be accessible and enjoyable, especially when it involves creative activities! The Calming Hands technique, developed by Rose Felix Cratsley from Ivy Child International, provides young children with a means to engage in mindful breathing paired with artistic expression. This hands-on practice is ideal for caregivers and educators aiming to introduce calmness and focus in a playful manner.
Engaging in this activity not only helps children connect with their breath and body but also utilizes the calming energy generated through their hands. During moments of anxiety, stress, or unease, our hands can serve as grounding tools promoting relaxation. This mindful practice empowers children to find peace amidst challenging emotions.
Follow along with the accompanying guided audio to enhance your practice!
Adapting for Sensory Needs
Encourage children to explore various textures, such as soft fabrics or smooth stones, while using the Calming Hands technique, enhancing their sensory engagement during the practice.
Helpful Tips for Parents
This practice can yield the best results when caregivers actively participate alongside their children. This collaboration not only reinforces the concept that mindfulness is a shared family activity but also fosters emotional bonding and resilience in both children and parents.
Key Highlights and Advantages:
Introduction: Encourages children to recognize sensations in their hands, introducing them as instruments of calm.
Breathing Practice: Involves a finger-counting breathing technique, guiding children to inhale and exhale deeply while counting from one to ten.
Reflection: Promotes self-awareness by asking kids to observe the sensations in their hands and bodies after practicing, enhancing relaxation and mindfulness.
Create and Calm: Handprint Art
Combining the Calming Hands exercise with a creative art project—such as tracing or painting handprints—allows kids to personalize their calming tool. This fusion of creativity and mindfulness transforms the activity into an enduring resource for emotional regulation and tranquility.
Materials Needed:
- Large paper suitable for handprints
- Non-toxic markers, crayons, or paint
Steps to Practice Calming Hands:
Make the Handprint: Invite your child to trace their hand or create a painted handprint on the paper, encouraging them to express their creativity through color and decoration.
Number the Fingers: Together, write numbers one through ten along the fingers, starting from the thumb and moving outward.
Begin Mindful Breathing: Ask the child to place their real hand atop their handprint. Start at the thumb (1) and take a deep breath in, exhaling while counting out loud. Continue this process for each finger, connecting breath with each number.
Repeat if Desired: If the child finds joy in the activity, feel free to trace back through the numbers or restart the exercise as desired.
This mindfulness practice allows children and families to create a meaningful memento. By tracing their hands, numbering the fingers, and adding personal touches, they develop a tangible reminder of the breathing technique, which can be revisited in times of stress. These handprints can serve as visual cues, whether displayed on the refrigerator, a bedroom door, or even in the car, to encourage mindfulness through counting and breathing.
Audio Practice: Discover Mindful Breathing with Your Hands
By Rose Felix Cratsley
To begin this exercise, gather a blank sheet of paper and a drawing instrument, such as a marker or pencil.
Step 1: Get Comfortable. Find a cozy seated position, either on the floor or in a chair. Sit up tall, like a sturdy tree, resting your hands on your lap or in front of you. Allow your shoulders to drop and your body to relax; remember, you are in a secure environment.
Step 2: Notice Your Hands. Take a moment to observe the sensations in your hands. Are they warm or cool? Light or heavy? Recognizing any feelings of tension or anxiety is part of the process. If needed, shake your hands gently to release that tension.
Step 3: Trace Your Hands. Now, let’s trace our hands to create an image of calm. Place your hand on the paper and trace around it with your marker. As you do this, pay close attention to the sensations in your fingers, palm, and between your fingers. Each stroke serves as a reminder that you are safe.
As you trace, understand that you are crafting a unique tool for calm. Your hands will be there whenever you wish to feel relaxed and grounded.
Step 4: Breathe with Your Hands. With your hand now traced, use it as a tool for mindful breathing. Each finger will represent one breath. Let’s count from one to ten, taking deep breaths in and out with each number. Begin with your pinky for number one, breathing in and allowing your chest and belly to rise. Exhale slowly for number two, and let any tension dissipate. Continue this process through each finger.
Step 5: Focus on the Sensation. During this breathing exercise, pay attention to the feelings in your hands. Are they warm, soft, or tingling? Notice how they change with each breath. Imagine your breath moving through your hands, infusing calmness throughout your body. If your thoughts drift, gently redirect your focus back to your hands and breath, enjoying this opportunity to slow down and find tranquility.
Step 6: Feel Grounded and Safe. Reflect on how your body feels after the practice. Are you more relaxed? Do your hands feel calm? Keep in mind, this practice helps you feel grounded and in control of your emotions and breath. Your hands can always guide you back to calmness. Whenever you feel anxious, remember this exercise, take a deep breath, and reconnect with the peace your hands can offer.
When you’re ready, return to your day. Take another deep breath in and exhale gently. Gradually redirect your awareness to your surroundings. You are composed, centered, and ready to tackle whatever comes next. Always remember your Calming Hands are available whenever needed.
Source
www.mindful.org