Instructions
–“Sit with your back straight and your legs apart a little. Now let yourself collapse like a rag doll, letting your head and arms fall into your lap. Close your eyes and listen to your breathing. Let each breath relax you more, so you keep relaxing into your lap.”
Pause 10 seconds
–“Imagine that your eyes are soft and relaxed, so loose that you aren’t putting any effort into them. Let your mouth and jaw relax, so relaxed that your whole face becomes warm and heavy. Then let your arms relax and be warm and heavy.”
Pause 10 seconds
–“Remember what being relaxed feels like, so that next time you are feeling tense or scattered, you can relax like a rag doll. And now we’ll count backwards to 1, and when we hit 1 you’ll feel rested and alert. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Sit up, feeling relaxed and alert.”
These kinds of relaxation exercises can easily be done in your classroom. By assigning one area of your classroom or a particular chair as the Peaceful Feeling Place or Relaxation Spot, and having tape-recorded instructions available, children can do relaxation exercises on their own whenever they feel the need.