The Awareness Teddy Bear How can you help your toddler or young
child relax and become aware of his or her breath—in a fun way?
Susan Kaiser Greenland offers this simple and playful exercise.
With this activity, take only as much time as is pleasurable for
you and your child. If either of you begin to get restless,
bring the activity to a logical stopping point. Ask your child
to lie down on his or her back with arms and legs stretched and
flat on the floor or bed. Now lead him or her through a simple
body scan starting with the head and moving down the body to the
toes. Here's what you might say: - See if you can focus on how
the back of your head feels against the floor. Now your
shoulders, your upper back, your middle back, your arms, your
middle, your rear, your upper legs, your lower legs, the back of
your feet... - Boy, I feel more relaxed just watching you relax.
Do you feel more relaxed too? - I can see your body quiet down
and relax. Is your mind quieting down and relaxing too? You can
put a stuffed