Time to Chillax Session 1

Time to Chillax activities

Session 1:

Relaxation and breathing exercises

1)       Sit in a circle and cross legs.

Rub hands together to create warmth, cup hands and gently put over eyes. Rest there for a while.

2)       Magic Dust

Take in a deep breath and as you breathe in feel as if you are breathing in magic fairy dust. Now, gently blow out the fairy dust into the air and imagine the room is being filled with fairy dust.

Breathe in Fairy Dust, breathe out fairy dust.

Meditation

3)       Talk about imagination. What is it? It is pretending in the mind.

4)       Sit up with your legs crossed if you can:

Close your eyes be very still and Imagine you are a tiny piece of butter lying on warm toast. Imagine that the floor is warm like toast and you are slowly melting into the toast. Feel your whole body becoming soft and gooey as you melt and relax into the warm toast. How long can you sit there for feeling relaxed and calm?

5)       Now lie down slowly:

 With arms and legs uncrossed listen to Relax Kids Quiet Spaces cd – 1. Soft bed.

Yoga

6)       Stand up and practice some yoga poses: (use picture cards of children demonstrating pose and read explanation)

Tree pose: Standing on one leg bring the other foot to rest on the standing leg. Think of your standing leg as a tree trunk rooted into the ground and extend your arms out like tree branches.

The wind is coming keep your balance and let the branches sway. Try closing your eyes for tree at night without falling over. 2 trees can hold hands to make a forest.

Downward facing dog: Make body into an upside down v shape. Have you seen a dog stretch in this way? Check pose is correct then walk the dog, try keeping arms and legs straight.

Frog: I am frog, I sit in squat, I wait for flies, that I can spot, then I flick my tongue so fast, the fly is gone within a flash

Bird: Perched on toes, away up high, I like to spread my wings, and fly.

Mindfulness:

7)       Sit back down in the circle.

Introduce and show children the Relax Kids Star Cards. Explain to them what they are about. We all have many qualities in us that make us special. For example Asha is kind, today I saw her help James climb up the ladder to the fort. Nate is helpful,l today I saw him help Toby undo his lunch box. These star cards remind us of the special qualities we have inside and how to use them during the day. Lay the cards out and ask four children to choose one. Help each child to read the card and explain what each quality means, give an example. John has picked ‘I am a Respectful Star’ on the back it says, ‘Respectful, today I will give people space.’ Discuss with the group what this means.

8)       Massage:

Put children and pairs, guide one to kneel and the other to kneel behind them facing their back. Explain to the children we are about to do a massage exercise and it is important that you ask the child first if they would like a massage. Each child has the right to say no if they don’t want one.

1)       Massage partners temples with fingers

2)       Massage partners shoulders giving gentle squeezes with hands

3)       Massage down partners back

4)       Crack the egg: Put a closed fist on partners head pretend to crack the egg with a gentle tap from other hand. Both hands run down partners shoulders and back like the yoke oozing and spilling down the sides of the body.

 References: 

 Marneta Viegas, Calmer Classroom eBook, extracted August 2013

Sarah Herrington, 5 Great Yoga Poses for kids, http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-1007/5-Great-Yoga-Poses-for-Kids.html