Parent Magazine St. Johns March 2019 | Page 11

1. 2. Spread your left or right hand and stretch your fingers out. Use the pointer finger of your other hand as a pencil and trace around the outline of each finger. Start at the bottom of your thumb and slide your finger up your thumb, pause at the top, and then slide your finger down the other side. Next, slide your pointer up your second finger, pause, and slide down the other side. Continue tracing your fingers up, pause, and down. Notice how your finger feels as it slowly traces the other fingers. Keep going until you have finished tracing your pinky. 3. Now include your breath. As you slide your tracing finger up your thumb, breathe in through your nose. Breathe out through your mouth as you slide the tracing finger down your thumb. Breathe in as you slide up your second finger, and breathe out as you slide down. Continue tracing your fingers as you take your five slow breaths. 4. 5. You can repeat this mindfulness exercise until you feel calm. Help your child process their emotions once they are calm by inviting them to talk about what it is they are feeling. MINDFUL GLITTER JARS The mindful glitter jar is a jar full of glycerin, water and glitter. This can be bought online or you can make it at home with your child. It’s a calming exercise that helps the child settle those unpleasant emotions. The glitter represents those big emotions the child is feeling, as they watch the glitter settle to the bottom of the jar their big emotions should settle too. Likewise, as they focus on the glitter settling they are also exercising that awareness and attention muscle. Remind your child that it is okay to feel what they are feeling but kicking, screaming, and hitting are unkind ways to cope with that emotion. The Mindful Jar, on the other hand, is a kind way to deal with that emotion and it is there to help us when we feel scared, sad, or angry. 1. 2. Shake glitter jar when upset or feeling any other type of unpleasant emotion. Focus your attention on the glitter settling, notice how the unpleasant feelings start to settle on the bottom of the jar. 3. Once all the thoughts and feelings have settled to the bottom of the jar bring your attention to the inside of your body and take five deep breaths breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. 4. Help your child process their emotions once they are calm by inviting them to talk about what it is they are feeling. S T. JOHNS parent MAGAZINE | 9