Our first Feeling Treasure Hunt will send us in search of calm!  How many of us have told our children to calm down?  Now, how many of us have actually taught our children what calm looks like and feels like?  We assume that they should somehow know how to be calm when we need them to be. This is not so easy!  Even adults have trouble calming down at times!  Being able to calm oursleves is an important life skill. When we feel calm our brain feels safe and is able to problem solve and learn. Below are some activities you can try this week as you search for calm with your child!  Happy Treasure Hunting!

Pot o’ Gold...

●     Find a small pot or jar and decorate it if you wish.

●     Find something small that can be the “gold” to add to your “pot” such as pennies, gummies, fish crackers, etc.

●     During the week, each time you notice or talk about “calm” be sure to add a piece of “gold” to the pot.

●     At the end of the week, you can count/eat the “gold” as you reflect on the “calm” that you noticed all week long.

NOTICE and LABEL “Calm” Throughout the Week...

●     Watch for times when your child looks like they are feeling calm. Talk about how they feels and why?  What does their face look like? What does their body feel like?

●     Notice times when you feel calm and “talk aloud” about it with your child. Talk about what has made you feel calm. Point out how your face looks and how your body looks and feels when it is calm.

●     Don’t forget to notice and talk about characters on TV and in books who are feeling calm!

Massaging Activity...

●     Sit with your child’s back in front of you. 

●     Gently rub/message your child’s head, arms and back.

●     Encourage him/her to relax and breath slowly as you do this.

●     As you are doing this, notice how calm their body looks and feels.

●     Talk about how their breathing feels.

●     Be sure to use the word “calm” to help your child connect the way they are feeling with the emotion word.

Putting Babies to Sleep...

●     Pretend you are putting a baby doll or a stuffed animal to sleep.

●     Tell your child we need to help our baby/bear calm down so he can go to sleep. Ask, “What can we do to help him calm down?”

●     Ask, “What helps your body to calm down so you can go to sleep?”

●     Try singing, rubbing the babies back/tummy, saying shhhh, rocking the baby gently, talking quietly to the baby, etc.

●     Talk with your child about how you will know the baby is calming down.

Calming Breathing Activities...

●     Find a fake flower and a birthday candle.

●     Tell your child, “We are going to practice breathing!”

●     Breath in slowly and deeply to smell the flower.

●     Breath out slowly to blow out the candle on the birthday cake.

●     You can try this with hot cocoa as well. Breathe in to smell the cocoa and breathe out slowly to cool it off!

●     If you have a toddler you might try having him/her sit in your lap and feel your calm breathing.  You may notice that his/her breathing begins to mimic yours!

●     Be sure to talk about how calm your child’s body feels after breathing deeply for a few minutes!