Stress is a mental excitement or inner tension that people experience in difficult and exciting situations.
Stress is familiar to us from birth because immediately after birth the child feels this not the most pleasant physiological reaction to the world.
With age, stress changes, but does not disappear from the life of the average person. Not only their mood but also their physical health depends on how people cope with stress. Psychologists note that working with stress should be learned from childhood. “Children in the city” has collected the most effective exercises-games that can be practiced with children.
“Contrast”
Stress manifests itself not only in the form of internal but also external tension. To relieve tension in the muscles of the hands, try the exercise “Contrast”. Have the child extend his arms in front of him and clench his fingers firmly into fists. Squeeze hard until your hands get tired. After that, relax your hands and rest.
Game “Balls”
When the child is upset or excited, ask her to wrap a bright yarn in a ball. Say that these are magic threads because when the ball is wound, it will take with it all the experiences. If this exercise helps your child, it can be used regularly.
“Holiday”
Often a child in order to get rid of stress, just need to rest and have fun. If there is no reason for fun, come up with it. The scope of the holiday depends on your imagination. You can go camping, decorate the apartment, throw a house party or draw bright posters. Unexpected holidays will allow the child to relax.
“Breathing exercises”
Nervous and mental stress can be relieved with breathing exercises. Teach your child to breathe slowly and deeply. At the same time, she has to inhale air through the left nostril, closing the right thumb. Exhale through the right nostril. Repeat the exercise 3-4 times.
“Release”
This exercise is suitable for working with images and complex experiences. You can use helium balloons or paper boats. It is necessary to talk to the child that together with the ball or other object will fly/affect all the anxiety and worry.
Gentle Quotes Game
For this exercise, you need to pick up about 6-7 small items of different textures. It can be fur, rubber, glass, stone. Layout all the items on the table and ask the child to close his eyes. Run-on the hand of the baby “unusual animal”, which he must guess by touch.
Game “Catch mosquitoes”
You can also relieve muscle tension by playing with punches. Invite your child to move at a leisurely pace. To do this, open the window and show that a lot of mosquitoes flew into the room. Invite your child to catch them by clenching and unclenching their fists. You can also slap “mosquitoes” with your palms.
Note that in case of severe stress or loss of a loved one, it is better to consult a child with a psychologist who can provide her with professional help.
