Basic relaxation exercises for children: technique and methodology

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Exercises for relaxation at school and in kindergarten are important for the formation of emotional stability for both children and the teaching staff. In other words, it is a deep muscle relaxation, due to which psychological stress is relieved.

About the relaxation exercise system

Most children lose their mental balance during the learning process. They also have restlessness and increased emotionality. Almost 78% of children suffer from some type of neurological disease.

Therefore, teachers should ensure that children regularly perform relaxation exercises. For some children, such activities help to relax, while others concentrate. Thanks to special game techniques, you can distract children a little and relieve stress. Games are not only relaxing, but also captivating. This is an important aspect for the further development of the child. He not only automatically does what the teacher shows, but also deepens into the given image.

Relaxation mood

This refers to a gradual transition to a state of relaxation. itsimilar to meditation, but presented in a playful way and adapted for children. The mood consists of three stages:

1. Students lie back and try to relax.
2. Close their eyes and mentally inspect all parts of the body.
3. Following this, pleasure, comfort and relaxation should come.

Types of relaxation mood

Relaxation exercises for schoolchildren require a certain attitude that will promote relaxation.

Among them, some teachers distinguish the following:

Balloons

The teacher invites the children to imagine beautiful and funny balloons: “These balloons are you. They inflate you and you become lighter. Then you raise everything higher and it becomes warmer. After you feel a light breeze, count to three and open your eyes.”

Clouds

A warm summer evening. You lie on the grass and feel comfortable. With each breath you rise higher and higher until you get closer to the clouds. You see the fluffiest and most beautiful cloud and stroke it.” Children stroke each other. At the count of 3, everyone opens their eyes.

Lazy people

This exercise is for relaxation of preschoolers. It is perfect for this age. Children should imagine that they are lazy and gracefully bask on a soft carpet. Preschoolers lie quietly, and at the same time the whole body rests. Then a pleasant warmth covers the arms and legs. A feeling of pleasant peace fills the whole body. This exercise helps children regain energy. As in the previous exercises, the eyes are opened at the expense of 3.

Waterfall

Imagine that you are standing near a beautiful and stormy waterfall. You are filled with bright sunshine. Thanks to the fresh air, you can breathe easily and freely. You are filled with a gentle light that tirelessly travels throughout your body. He caresses your hands and fingers. After you feel warm, open your eyes.”

Kindergarten Relaxation Exercises

Absolutely all kids love games. For preschool children, this form of leisure is the most appropriate. Exercises can be done at any time without additional toys or other items. The methods are completely different. The selection depends on what age category the guys are in.

One of these leisure activities is breathing exercises, which will help you fall asleep during a quiet hour. Breathing exercises calm the pupils. To maximize the effect, breathing exercises are carried out in the fresh air. In winter, it is also useful to perform tasks outside, but if it is very cold, then it is better to stay indoors.

Have preschoolers clench their fists and tense their stomachs for 10 minutes. After the time has elapsed, start relaxing. Experts advise to conduct such classes in a sitting position.

Sound therapy can also help babies relax. Children will be happy to listen to the sound of the forest, rain and the surf. They imagine a picture in their imagination and calm down, their mood improves.

For preschool childrenart therapy will be an actual occupation. They will be interested in drawing, designing something or sculpting figures from plasticine.

How to relax older kids

Relaxation exercises for elementary school students help children keep their emotional state in good shape. The bottom line is that a first grader should be able to calm down on their own after a stormy change. Here it is important that he learns to focus on getting new information. Auto-training and breathing exercises contribute to this in the best possible way.

Deep breath helps to relieve excitement and switch to an active learning process. Slow inhalation through the nose, and exhalation through the mouth will help you tune in to gaining new knowledge. After 3–5 minutes, the child will calm down and behave appropriately in class.

In order for children to always be attentive in class, such exercises should be done daily for 10-15 minutes.

Neuromuscular relaxation

This type of exercise was developed by Edmund Jacobson, who is a leading American neurologist. Muscle clamps occur as a result of constant stress and during a state of depression. The author of the technique claims that the emotional state and muscle tone are completely interconnected. Therefore, classes will help not only relax the muscles, but also bring the psycho-emotional state back to normal.

This exercise is ideal for teacher relaxation. Important conditions for complete relaxation look like this:

• each exercise is performed twice;
• muscles relax while inhaling, and tension comes out;
• you need to choose any comfortable position in advance.

A few Jacobson exercises for adults

For leg muscles:

1. Gradually bend and strain the legs, and then relax. Then you need to completely relax for a few seconds. The exercise is repeated 2 times.
2. Pull the toes forward, tense them for a few seconds and then relax.
3. Tear off the legs from the floor by 10-15 cm, strain and relax.

For arm muscles:

• Squeeze the right hand into a fist, and then strain and relax. Then they carry out the exercise with the left hand, and then repeat with both at once.
• Squeeze the right hand at the elbow and tighten the biceps. The process is repeated with the left hand and both at once, as in the previous exercise.

There are also exercises where they strain and then relax the stomach and back. This effect is achieved by lifting the pelvis or thoracic spine above the floor. For convenience, you can lean on your elbows.

The following activities are suitable for children:

1. "Wrinkled face" - children wrinkle all parts of the face in turn, imagining that they ate a sour lemon.
2. "Heels-toes" - children pull the heels to the knee, and then relax them.
3. "Turtle" - children raise their shoulders to their ears, imagining that they are in a shell.
4. "Butterfly" - children draw and spread their shoulder blades, imagining that they flutter like butterflies.
5. "Reach for the cloud" - babies stretch their arms up trying to reach them as high as possible, and then lower them relaxed.
6. "Icicle" - the hands are compressed as much as possible, and then relax.

Parents and teachers, performing these tasks with children, must necessarily praise their little wards. Then they will start working harder. These are special muscle relaxation exercises.

Relaxation for aggressive kids

Children with increased anxiety need to carry out relaxation procedures in the first place. To do this, you should choose in advance the place where such events will be held. An anxious child needs to be trained in a cozy room with a colorful interior, where nothing will annoy him.

Perfect in this case, classes to relax the muscular system. For example, you can invite your child to simulate a fight where he allegedly had a fight with his friend and is trying to blow off some steam. When performing such a task, the child’s hands should be clenched into fists as much as possible, and the jaw should be tightly closed. The child should be asked to stand in a “combat” position for about 5 minutes, and then offered to remember all the good moments connecting him with a friend and try to cool the ardor.

Also, a mental walk through the forest or along the sea coast will help relieve stress in an aggressive child. To enhance the effect at this moment, you can put on relaxing music that imitates the singing of birds or the sound of waves. You can also just listen to your favorite music. Such relaxation is undoubtedlywill improve the mood of the ward.

Breathing exercises for relaxation will help him become much calmer, and the level of aggression will definitely decrease. Deep breaths in and out will bring him peace.

Program for children with stuttering

Scientists have proven that the psyche and speech are closely interconnected. Therefore, in order for the child to stop stuttering, going to a speech therapist is not enough, you also need to carry out relaxation exercises. To do this, it is necessary to achieve such an effect that the child can relieve not only physical, but also psycho-emotional stress associated with stress.

He who stutters puts a lot of strain on the muscles of his face and mountaineer. As a result, the whole organism can not stand it, and then the child begins to slur the words. Therefore, it is first important to carry out exercises for muscle relaxation, and then engage in relaxation of the speech apparatus. In this big business, learning tongue twisters will be a great help. All work ends with breathing exercises.

For children with cerebral palsy

For this category of children, there is a cycle of special exercises that allow you to eliminate muscle stiffness. Thanks to such exercises, children increase the level of self-control, as well as increase motor activity:

• One of these exciting exercises is a special task called "Let's get to know each other." The child here should sit on the mat and take a deep breath, and then hold the breath for a few moments. AfterAt the end of the entertaining experiment, the child says his first and last name.
• The Growing Flower is a unique exercise where the student has to imagine himself as a seed. According to the scenario, an adult gardener strokes the seed and gradually grows it. The child needs to be stroked on the head or on the back. At this moment, stems and leaves appear at the flower (this is the body and hands of the baby), and then buds are added (here the brushes should be clenched into fists). After that, the flower begins to bloom and expand (the child slowly gets up, spreads his arms, spreads his fingers).
• Another exercise is called "The Annoying Fly". Here a situation appears when a fly has landed on its forehead, and some measures need to be taken. To begin with, we try to move our eyebrows, but the fly remains. She just moved. What to do? They suggest blinking your eyes or moving your jaw if the fly has moved to your chin.

Relaxation exercises for teenagers

Adolescence is one of the most problematic at school, as puberty begins and there is an increased activity of children in all areas. Because of this, the guys get a lot of negative emotions, and this provokes their internal and external tension. To eliminate this condition, or at least minimize its impact, a number of relaxation exercises have been developed.

The problem is that often teenagers do not show aggression, but try to suppress it, withdraw into themselves, being alone with their fears. This behavior can cause serious mental illness.

For example, many teenagers feel insecure before public speaking or during the speech itself. Therefore, they are recommended to engage in relaxation, where the phrase is mentally pronounced: "I am calm." Some try to smoke, drink or use drugs, claiming that this is the only way to relieve stress. In fact, they are in a deep delusion, since the above habits adversely affect not only the nervous system, but also the body as a whole.

Because teenagers sometimes need to relax for 10-15 minutes. This is enough to feel how the stress fades away. Teenagers are also taught to critically evaluate their skills, which will help them choose the right profession in the future.

What gives relaxation

Relaxation exercises for preschoolers and older children are a great way to take your mind off your worries and worries. Relaxing techniques quickly relieve physical pain and psychological fatigue. For children, relaxing exercises are very important.

And motor exercises play a key role here. During classes, the teacher forms a positive attitude in his wards. The teacher or kindergarten teacher turns on calm music and says soothing phrases: “You feel good, calm and pleasant. You feel comfortable, basking on the warm sea sand. Texts can be completely different, the main thing is that their message should evoke positive emotions.

Conclusion

A set of relaxation exercises is useful not only for children, but also for their parents and teachers. By regularly performing relaxation exercises, a person becomes calmer and more resistant to stressful situations. This article discusses a variety of ways to relax children, from kindergarten to graduation. Their correct and regular implementation will quickly bring the desired result, and students will be able to establish good relationships not only with teachers, but also with their peers.

All exercises are aimed at complete relaxation of the emotional system, as well as the body as a whole. To implement these methods in life and increase their effectiveness, the participation of the entire teaching staff, and possibly also the influence of parents, will be required.