The surprising technique one mum uses to calm her stressed-out kid
Have you heard of this tantrum-tamer?
One mum’s described the unique way she helps keep her daughter’s tantrums in check - and has gone viral as a result.
The mum, who remains anonymous, posted a video to the Relax Kids Tamworth Facebook page, and began her useful tale with a description of her child’s recent after-school meltdown.
"You know the type: they’re frustrated, raising their voice, they don’t wanna tell you what they did today, they don’t know how to resolve their emotions, they’re not hungry… but actually they are hungry. Nope, wait, definitely NOT hungry."
This mum then shared her solution to a paddy - a Hoberman sphere hung from the bedroom ceiling, used to help promote deep breathing.
Just in case you don’t know, the Hoberman sphere is an ‘isokinetic structure’ that can be expands and contracts.
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You can usually find brightly-coloured versions as toys, in a variety of sizes, and they’re often pretty cheap.
Here’s the video of it in action - which has been watched over a million times after being shared on various Facebook pages:
Mum wrote alongside it:
“In my classes I use a Hoberman sphere (my breathing ball) to guide the children and to help us with our deep belly breaths.
“As I expand the ball we breathe in deeply through the nose; filling our lungs with air.
“As the ball closes we breathe out slowly through the mouth, relaxing our whole body. It's a really great visual for the children to relate to.
“My daughter loves it so I set one up in her bedroom so she can lie down and take some deep breaths whenever she needs to. She took herself there tonight and lay on the bed breathing for ages.
“Her breathing was really fast at first and I could see her body was super tense. After a few deep breaths I really noticed her whole body (and brain) relax. Her voice got calmer and her legs relaxed. I managed to sneak in and film the end.
“She was a totally different (relaxed) child after this and she even wanted to tell me about her day afterwards!!”
Well, proof is usually in the pudding, right? We’d say that looks like an ideal post-meltdown result!
What do you think?
Would you give this a go… or do you have your own tantrum-taming techniques to share?
Let us know your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter
Images: Facebook/Relax Kids Tamworth
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