Relaxation for kids: why rest breaks are important

Relaxation for stressed children

Due to the increasing pressure to perform and countless stimuli, many school children today suffer from stress at school and in everyday life. A survey of primary school children in Germany, published by the Child Protection Association and the Prosoz Institute in November 2012, came to the conclusion that around a third of second and third graders feel stressed about school and their homework. About half of the children would like more relaxation and recreation.

When a person is exposed to too many stimulating stimuli, blood pressure rises, heart rate increases and alertness is heightened. But this becomes exhausting in the long run, because the body cannot constantly be “live”. Children who are constantly exposed to this condition have difficulty switching off. Because unlike adults, they haven’t yet learned to recognize that they need a break. When children are exposed to too much stress, they can hardly sit still and over time, serious consequences can arise:

• difficulty sleeping
• Motor restlessness
• attention deficit disorder
• loss of appetite
• headache
• stomach pain
• lack of concentration
• anxiety states
• Deteriorated school performance

Relaxation for children helps with learning

Relaxation is therefore very important for children at school. Because not only the vegetative nervous system in the body, which regulates unconscious processes such as circulation, breathing and blood pressure, needs a break every now and then, but also the brain. Modern brain research assumes that new knowledge is consolidated in the brain during sleep and rest periods. As a result, when children are deprived of these opportunities to relax, they have greater difficulty storing information permanently in their brains. Brain researchers have also found that schoolchildren’s brains are even more active in their free time than they are in class. It is therefore important that children are given time to relax so that they can “sink in” new knowledge. That’s why the school holidays and free afternoons without fixed dates are important,

Relaxation exercises for children

Regular relaxation makes children more balanced and optimistic because they have learned strategies for staying calm in stressful situations. Breaks give body and mind time to regenerate. The heartbeat becomes slower and more regular, breathing becomes calmer and the tension in the muscles decreases. You can try these exercises with your child at home to offer them some relaxation techniques:

• Breathing exercises for relaxation for children: Your child takes a deep breath and lets all the air out again, humming like a bee on ‘s’. Or they breathe in, mentally count to three slowly, and then breathe out again. All of these exercises should be performed no more than three to four times in a row, otherwise your child can easily become dizzy.
• Relaxing massages for children: your child lies down comfortably and you play “bake pizza”. You knead your child’s back like dough and “cover” your child’s back with various touches. You can also simply stroke and scratch your child, because this loving closeness has a calming effect on your child.
• Relaxing story for children: your child lies down, closes his eyes and you tell a relaxing story, for example: “Imagine you are lying in a flowery meadow, you are completely relaxed. The sun shines on your body and you are pleasantly warmed by its rays. You can smell the scent of flowers and grass and you can hear the birds chirping…”.
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This technique encourages children to consciously perceive relaxation as opposed to tension. Your child lies on their back, tenses certain muscles at your command and then releases them again. For example, he may clench his fists, hunch his shoulders, clench his buttocks, frown, or suck in his stomach. The tension is held for a moment, then the muscle is relaxed again. So you can take a journey through the whole body from toes to head.
• Draw mandalas to relax children: Coloring mandalas has a relaxing effect on children, because they can let their thoughts run free during this meditative activity.

Incorporate relaxation for children into everyday life

You can also try some of these exercises with your child when you are out and about, if you notice that it needs relaxation. Try to include a set relaxation ritual for your children in your daily routine, such as a set cuddle time before bed or when your child gets home from school. 10 to 15 minutes a day, in which your child can calm down, is often enough. Give your child rest breaks throughout the day if they seem to need them and try to reduce appointments and stress as much as possible. In this way, relaxation for children can be easily integrated into everyday life.

Children should be introduced to relaxation techniques as early as possible, for example with baby massage . If you start later, you should make sure that you introduce your child to the exercises slowly and carefully and do not exert any pressure. But the most important thing is that you set an example for your children to relax. Because if you’re constantly running around hectic and don’t allow yourself any breaks, your child will copy this behavior.