Supporting optimal health, balance & growth.
Life gets really busy! Ensuring your child can enjoy down time is essential for maintaining health, keeping life balanced and of course giving them the opportunity to optimally grow.
Busy afternoons, long outings every day and activity after activity seems to be the norm in our busy culture. Unfortunately keeping kids busy every day without adequate rest can negatively impact learning and development.
Ways to Slow Life Down...
Providing the opportunity to have days and afternoons at home is the first step to supporting children to relax. Actively taking steps to create the right environment will further enhance the experience.
- Aim to have quiet afternoons - quiet voices, no tv and encourage playing games on the floor
- Instill elements of mindfulness - providing kids the opportunity to talk about what they are grateful for and what is great right now
- Take time to be in nature. Shoes off, on the grass looking up at the sky
- Provide a calm area for sleep free from technology
- Be creative and ask kids to draw, paint, build, do craft, play or listen to music.
Lack of rest and time to relax is stress on little bodies...
When a child is overwhelmed with activity, it can create physical exhaustion and emotional stress. Providing the opportunity to enjoy after school activities and structured play is great for growing bodies and minds when they are balanced with elements of free time.
Parents may notice changes in moods, behavior, sleep patterns, levels of resilience and fatigue.
