If you or your child find it tricky to talk about how you’re feeling or your emotional experiences, you can use animals to help you. Equipping yourselves with a variety of ways to talk and chat is really helpful so we’re not just using labels (anxiety, worry, fear, anger).
For example:
To discuss focus, concentration, attention or noticing distractions….we need to practise.
A Deer – freezes still, looking and noticing, paying attention to any movement. Deer look and scan their environment and when they are ‘noticing’ they stop moving, stop scanning and stay still.
As a parent if you’re waiting for school pick up or in a queue, try standing still like a deer, not getting your phone out, not chatting, observing, listening and scan the scene. Look up, look around and BE still.
Kitten Brain Thinking
Noticing our wandering minds and the practising the ability to pay attention.
Try this on your own or with your child:
Breathe In, Breathe out… Say 1.
Breath In, Breathe Out…Say 2.
Repeat until you get to 10.
If you lose count, well done! You’ve noticed your wandering kitten brain mind!
Your child may want to learn how to ‘control their emotions’ . For example, not feeling fear or anger.
We know that this isn’t possible, these feelings will visit us at times. So rather than try to stop them happening, we work on our responses to them. We have a choice as to how we think and behave.
E.g. Stamping and growling can be good ways to release uncomfortable inner feelings in a safe, healthy and appropriate way.
Zooming out for a new perspective
The Eagle can demonstrate how zooming out of our situation and seeing the bigger picture can help us to empathise and see things from someone else’s point of view.
Please do share if this video has been helpful and you feel it will benefit other people.
Have a great day!
Jo 😊
Learnful Schools equips and empowers children, teachers and parents with transformational regular mental and emotional and well-being practices. Visit: www.learnful.co.uk/learnful-schools to find out more.
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😊 Jo