Mindfulness, Yoga and Wellness for families
5 activities to help kids concentrate
Are you finding your child's attention wondering off every 5 seconds? You are not alone! It is a strange time when parents are taking the place as the school teacher (for work they don't ever understand for some things) and the home environment where they are used to just playing and relaxing is now one where they have to focus for much longer than usual. When children go to school there are rules in place, expectations and a certain way of doing things. They know when they go they sit at their desk and it is time to work. The teacher is there to give their full attention to this learning experience, they are not trying to do another full time job, run around after a toddler or clean the house. It is completely different. So it is no wonder children are struggling to give school work the same focus.
1. The click and wink
This is a fun exercise for focus and gets both sides of the brain working. It is a great one to do before homework or when you need to concentrate on something.
Start by winking your left eye while you click your fingers on your right hand. Now wink your right eye while clicking your fingers on your left hand. Continue to switch back and forth at least ten times.
2. Colour your thoughts
Art is such a great way to express ourselves and also to calm us. Ask your child to sit for a moment and just bring an awareness to how they are feeling. With paper ready in front of them and pens or crayons of different colours ask them to use different colours to show how they are feeling. Allow them to express their thoughts however they feel called to do so. Letting everything come flowing out from their minds on to the page. There are no expectations for it to look like anything or be a certain way. There is no wrong way to do this.
3. Spoon Balancing
Did you ever play this as a child?
This is such a goofy game but it can really help us to focus. All you need is a teaspoon! See if you can balance the teaspoon on your nose. You could put it length ways on the bridge of your nose or you could try placing it vertically on the tip of your nose. Just find what works for you and how long you can balance it for. This takes focus, perseverance, balance, and a lot of giggles.
Toe-ga is a great way to calm down while having to use focus and concentration. Our toes are crammed in shoes a lot of the day (or at least before lockdown, in fairness my toes are mainly in slippers now) and this is a great way to stretch them out and release any tension.
All you need is some pom poms and a pot (cake tin, mixing bowl etc). Pour the pom poms into the middle and then everyone uses their feet to pick up the individual pom poms and place them into the pot/ bowl. I like to use different sizes to change things up. This is a great way to work those toe muscles in a gentle and fun way. It is simple, fun, and easy to clean up!
5. Yoga flow
Yoga has an amazing range of benefits including helping children to focus. A great tool to use throughout the day in small 5-15 minutes breaks. Yoga is a great way to help children focus as we are marrying our breath with movement. This doesn't have to be done in the same way as an adults class would go although it can be lovely for your little ones to join in if you have your own practice, but it can be more fun and playful. You can start with more energy such as games and fast movement and then wind it down with some relaxation and breathing. For more ideas check out my Book - Christmas yoga for children and their adult! This book is full of ideas, not just for Christmas and is free on kindle with membership!
Here is a short sequence to get you started! Take five to seven deep breaths in each pose.
There you have it
Five great ways to get a little mini break from work and chores and help children to focus. Please share this with other parents who's children may benefit from these small practices. It can make a big difference!
Would you like to see more posts like this one? Let me know what you enjoyed about it and what you will be trying!
Happy valentines day!
As a single mum, during a pandemic with no chance of lining up dates why not make the day a celebration of all the love we have at home. There is no better way to do this than spending quality time together, having fun! This is a great game because its one that you can play anytime. Love hearts are not just for valentines!
All you will need is some red card cut into love hearts (and in fairness you could use any colour) and a pen.
On each love heart, write down a different yoga pose.
Some Ideas for what to write
You may also like to add some high energy and exercise based ones in there such as
Now you are ready to play!
Put on your kids favourite music. Place the hearts on the ground with space between them. When the music is playing, everyone dances and moves around the room. When the music stops, everyone must stand on a heart. Stand statue still for three breaths. Together you look at what you are each standing on and complete the action. Yoga poses can be held until the music plays again.
To make it more interesting you could remove the hearts as you go on, maybe at random or ones that have been played. you decide! Have fun!
Let me know if you'll be trying this at home! This is such a fun way to get the family doing yoga together!
What are your plans for valentines day? Who will you be spending it with?
15 journaling prompts for the new year. Feel free to share with someone who would find these helpful 😍
🎉If unlimited money was available to me, how would I spend my time?
🎉I'm what ways can I do that now?
🎉 My dream day would like....
🎉If I could accomplish anything within the next 12 months it would be.......
🎉One way I would like to feel is....
🎉How can I feel like that now? What steps can I take?
🎉What can I forgive myself for that I am still holding on to?
🎉Where can I show myself more love?
🎉One thing I would love to be told is......
🎉What does a conversation with myself look like? Am I kind? Do I show myself compassion?
🎉Where do I see myself in 6 months time?
🎉What can I do to declutter physically or emotionally to find more simplicity?
🎉Who are 3 people I admire? Why?
🎉What would make me happy right now?
🎉What is something or some words that you would like to share with others?
Are you happy to welcome in 2021? Share some of your hopes and manifestations for the new year.
When the root chakra is out of balance....
When the root chakra is out of balance you may feel out of sorts, unable to ground, scattered, anxious, worried that you're going to lose everything, feeling like your basic needs are not being met, unmotivated, feeling the need to hoard everything or feeling disconnected.
When the root chakra is in balance...
When the root chakra is in balance you may feel grounded, secure, safe, at home in your own body, strong, rooted in the present moment, connected with nature, calm and centered.
How can we work towards balancing our root chakra...
There are many ways we can help to achieve balance in this chakra. Connecting with nature, meditation, mindful walking, eating root vegetables and a healthy diet, yoga, journaling and using affirmations. Affirmations being the focus of this post.
When using affirmations it is important to notice how they make you feel. If it feels wrong and causes you to feel discomfort saying it, notice that. Maybe explore why that is but change the wording until you can feel good saying it. The affirmation is to help empower you to take control of your thinking mind. To rewrite any negative self talk and replace them with kindness and lobe for yourself. This cant be done however if you are struggling with the affirmation, for instance if it feels like a lie. Take the affirmation I am safe for example. If you were to repeat this over and over when you were actually in a very unsafe situation, your brain and body would be fighting against you saying it. Where as if you were safe but finding it hard to calm yourself, the affirmation I am safe could be very grounding. So play around with the wording, make it your own. Memorise it, repeat it, don't just read it. I am safe could turn into may I be safe, I am safe in this moment, Safety is my birth right. This goes for any affirmation, make them your own.
Choose one or two to work with for the next week. Write them down, set them as reminders in your phone and say them in front of the mirror everyday. The more you hear it, see it and feel it, the more it will be.
Root chakra affirmations
Feel free to use these, change them up or create your own.
Want to find out more about the chakras?
Watch out for my next post which I will link here when posted. Sign up to my email list so you dont miss the chakra healing affirmation series!
Want to dive deeper and learn more about the chakras, affirmations and more ways we can work with them? Join my latest program THE CHAKRA HEALING PROGRAM
Comment below with your favourite way to ground and centre yourself.
follow the leader
Sometimes the simplest games are the best one! This game can be done inside or outside, on yoga mats or around your space. I like to play this game by starting in a circle or with partners facing each other. You can include some yoga poses, some funny dances, jumping over things and so much more. Be sure to go first so that you can show them a few possibilities and then let everyone have a turn to be the leader. As it is halloween this week you could fit in some halloween themed poses such as
Zombie Walk (get creative)
Monster Breath (lions breath)
Witch on a broom (warrior 2)
Pumpkin (childs pose)
Spooky tree (tree pose)
creaky gate (gate pose)
flying witch (chair pose)
Vampire (mountain pose)
Bat (boat pose)
A nice twist on the classic. Yogi says an instruction and then the child or group do as Yogi says. If the instruction is given without ‘Yogi says’ at the beginning the children should not do the task. If they do, they must stand in mountain pose for three breaths before joining back in.
Here are some suggestions for Yogi Says…..
• Stand in tree pose
• Sit on the floor
• Do 5 jumping jacks
• Run on the spot
• Practice plank pose
• Show me a strong warrior pose
• Touch your toes
• Put your hands on your head
• Do a funny dance
• Stand on one leg
• Act like a froggy
You could also add some of the halloween themed poses mentioned previously.
You can practice some yoga poses that you have already worked with as well as new ones if you can demonstrate them first. By adding in some other fun things as well as just yoga poses, it keeps it fun and exciting as they really do not know what is coming next. You can also let the children have a turn at being yogi.
1,2,3 Spooky yoga tree
One person stands at one edge of the room, they are ‘it’, while the rest of the group/family starts at the opposite wall standing on one leg in the tree pose. If you are playing this game in a bigger space, just make a line to define the starting and finishing points. The person who is ‘it’ turns their back to the group and counts aloud “1, 2, 3 spooky yoga trees” and then quickly turns back to look at the group. When ‘it’ is not watching, the other children can move forward, but when ‘it’ turns around they must stand on one leg in the tree pose. If ‘it’ sees you standing on two legs or moving forward, they can call on you to go back to the wall (or starting point). Whoever gently touches ‘it’ first, becomes the next ‘it’. I like to add some spooky music to this one.
Intuition is something that we are born with, yet along the way we can lose connections with it. How many times have you thought to yourself - "I knew I should have done that" or "I knew that was a bad idea".
Being connected to our intuition allows that inner voice to become more clear, we can start to trust it more and are better able to move forward and make better decisions. Here are a few more benefits of connecting with our intuition:
Here are five ways that you can connect with your intuition starting today.