Mums and Kids Relaxation

Last month I ran a relaxation session for mums and their children together as I thought this would be a lovely way for younger children to experience a relaxation session.

I wanted to find out what mums would like the most if I were to market these sessions to the public - do they want a special time with one of their pre-school children, or would they like to be able to bring their baby along too? I have noticed that most groups are for either mums and babies (no older siblings) or mums and older children (no babies). Many mums would love to be able to go to sessions with one of their children, but they don't have the childcare options to do that, so they need to take both children with them. For this reason, I tried out a relaxation session with a range of children - babies from 3 weeks old (who luckily slept through the session) to children who are almost five and have started school. 

The results were just as I suspected!

I found out that children of 3 and over could join in and feel the benefits of relaxing with their mums most easily, and some of the babies enjoyed the snuggly part of the session when they got to lie down and have a cuddle. The toddlers (who could crawl or walk and talk a little) were the hardest to engage. They had a blast all the same because they were enjoying running around and shouting happily, but this made it difficult for the other children and mums to hear and to relax! The feedback from most mums was to have separate sessions. It was a valuable insight and I learnt a lot about the sort of space I would need to hire in order to make the best sessions possible.

Again, I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of my friends who came along to the session and helped me with my research.

You can register your interest in relaxation classes for mums and children by emailing me via the contact form.

Relax Kids Classes - New!

A few months ago I went to Brighton for a training course which was part on my journey enabling me to become a Relax Kids Coach. I am really excited about starting my classes (for kids aged 5-9 in the first instance) - in September.

  

You may have heard of Relax Kids which is the brain child of Marneta Viegas. Her dream is to help children learn how to manage their stress levels, how to relax and reduce anxiety. She trains coaches all over the world to teach children these skills, and also sells a huge range of relaxation CDs and books which are a great resource for children, teachers and parents alike.

 I am working hard to get myself ready for my first set of classes for September including doing my Paediatric First Aid certification among other things.

Please contact me to find out about my current classes.

Update on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 11:30PM by Zeenat Ahmed-Peto

My preparations for my new classes are going well but they still don't begin until a few weeks away, so I thought I would write a little update on my progress to date.

I completed a two-day paediatric first aid course with the Walthamstow St John Ambulance two weeks ago, which was absolutely brilliant. I have always said I would do a first aid course and I finally got around to it. It is truly amazing how a little knowledge can help save a life - and you can learn the basics in a few hours.

Reproduced with permission, Relax Kids Blog

I have bought materials like blankets for the lying-down relaxation and meditation part of the sessions and am looking for a suitable display system for my CDs. I have two interns ready to help me and learn lots of new skills. I just need to get them up to speed but I am confident in their abilities. It's all very exciting!

  

I will be a running a session once a week in a year 5 class starting next week and I have an idea for a mummy and toddler session which I am going to try out on my friends first! Wish me luck!

Meditation for Children

This weekend is going to be an exciting one! I'm off to Brighton on a training course to further explore my interest in teaching meditation to children. In one of my guises, I am a teacher and I have been trying out whole class meditations with pupils aged ten and eleven. I have had some great responses from the pupils; some of whom have said they employed the techniques I taught them when they were sitting their recent SATs tests. It is amazing how much presssure there is on young people these days to perform well in exams, get into 'good' schools, not to mention trying to fund university or find a job when they are older. I do remember however, feeling anxious and worried about similar things myself when I was younger, so maybe it was always this way? I think I could have done with knowing more about how to lower my own stress levels and also being more able to put things in perspective. I am a true believer in enabling young people to do things and think for themselves by skilling them up and teaching them how to be pro-active. We are not all destined to stay they way we were when we were born! We can improve and develop ourselves, and this includes learing to take care of our own levels of stress through meditation. 

Visualisation is a simple and effective tool in meditation