Want to be a good mom? Not only treat yourself to some much needed rest, relaxation, and self-care but also include your kids! With the potential for stress levels to raise high each day in mom life, it’s important to have a toolbox of ways to combat and calm that stress. Stress is going to happen, no matter who you are. Being able to participate in self-care is important for relaxing the nervous system, lowering your stress and anxiety, and extending your patience. This can be true for not only you but for your child as well!

So, while it can be challenging to prioritize self-care when your young (or older) children require your time and attention, by actually incorporating your them into a few self-care practices, everyone can reap the benefits! Involving your child in activities like yoga, mindfulness exercises, or even a simple skincare routine not only helps you maintain your self-care routine but also helps you be a better mom through much loved bonding time.

In this blog, you fill find a list of activities that can not only help in calming your nervous system naturally but also give your child fun memories and hopefully teach them skills about natural health. It's important to keep the activities light and fun, ensuring that both you and your kids enjoy the time spent together. I encourage you to find a few that work best with your family. I’d love to know which self-care practices end up being you and your child’s favorites!

Activities like deep breathing, gentle yoga, or a warm bath can help relax the body. By adding self care to your daily schedule, you can reduce cortisol, lower heart rate, and control blood pressure, leading to a calmer nervous system and better mental health.

Mindful Breathing

Activity: 

Practice deep breathing exercises together. When practicing deep breathing, the body's parasympathetic nervous system is activated, which helps counteract the effects of the sympathetic nervous system responsible for the body's stress response.

How to Involve Kids:

Turn it into a fun game where you pretend to blow up balloons or blow out candles on a birthday cake. Count breaths out loud and encourage your kids to follow along. We were gifting the book “Breathe With Me” by Mariam Gates and the kids enjoy it and it’s a nice introduction to more intentional self-care breathing practices.

Nature Walks

 Activity: 

Take regular walks in nature. Spending time outside in nature has been shown to positively impact our nervous system. A study conducted by Bratman et al. (2015) found that participants who took a 90-minute walk in a natural environment showed decreased activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain associated with repetitive negative thinking. This reduction in neural activity indicated lower levels of rumination and a calmer nervous system compared to those who walked in an urban setting.

How to Involve Kids:

• If you have a favorite nature guidebook, bring it along to see if you and your child can identify any plants, animals, or insects you come across. Bring a magnifying glass for closer inspection of interesting finds.

• You can never go wrong packing snacks and stopping to have a small picnic or tea party halfway through your walk.

• Finally, consider bringing a camera so they can take photos of interesting things they see, turning the walk into a nature photography expedition.

Charlotte Mason homeschooling has a big focus on Nature Study and when I took this ‘What’s Your Homeschool Style’ Test my results were largely Charlotte Mason style and thus, I began reading more into it. I most appreciate the living lessons, storytelling and immersion in nature!

Reading & Storytelling

Activity: 

Read books or tell stories. When we immerse ourselves in a story, whether through reading a book or listening to someone narrate an experience, our brains enter a state of focused attention that can help reduce stress and anxiety levels. This focused attention on a narrative can lead to a decrease in heart rate and muscle tension, promoting a sense of calm and well-being.

How to Involve Kids:

Choose calming, imaginative stories. Create a cozy reading nook and spend time reading together. Regardless of age, children benefit from listening to stories read aloud. It helps improve their vocabulary, comprehension skills, and fosters a love for reading. Additionally, it provides a bonding opportunity between you and your children, creating lasting memories and encouraging communication. I love to occasionally sharpen my skill for improvising, by making up my own narrated story for my kids to enjoy. You can encourage your kids to tell their own stories as well. This is a Go-To relaxing activity in our home!

Yoga & Stretching

Activity: 

Practice gentle yoga or stretching exercises. Gentle stretching can have a positive impact on your nervous system by helping to reduce muscle tension and release endorphins, which are the body's natural feel-good chemicals. When you engage in gentle stretching exercises, you are also encouraging blood flow to the muscles, which can help to alleviate stress and improve overall circulation.

How to Involve Kids:

Use kid-friendly yoga poses and names (e.g., "tree pose," "cat-cow"). Play a yoga-themed game or follow along with a child-friendly yoga video.

Gardening

Activity: 

Spend time gardening or tending to plants. Gardening helps relax by lowering stress hormone levels. Spending just 30 minutes gardening can improve your mood. The repetitive and mindful nature of gardening can help distract from everyday worries and rumination, leading to a calmer state of mind. The sense of accomplishment from tending to plants and seeing them grow can also provide a mental boost and a sense of purpose.

How to Involve Kids:

Give your kids small, manageable tasks like watering plants or planting seeds. This is key because once your child finds what they like doing in the garden, it can keep them engaged for a long while. This helps you to have your own moment of relaxation, and calm. Teach them about different plants and the basics of gardening.

Mindful Meditation

Activity: 

Practice short meditation sessions. Listening to guided meditations can help calm your nervous system by focusing your mind on the present moment, reducing racing thoughts and anxiety. The soothing voice and relaxation techniques used in guided meditations can promote deep breathing, lower heart rate, and decrease stress hormone levels, creating a sense of inner peace and tranquility. This can be a great break in the middle of the activity of the day or great way to end the day.

How to Involve Kids:

Use guided meditations designed for children. A quick YouTube search will yield a plethora of options. If you’re looking for biblical meditation, check out the Halo App. Prepare your child by getting them excited to go on a small journey in their minds and lay down and listen with them. You can also offer to color while listening as a good option for kids who just don’t want to lay still.

Music & Dance

Activity: 

Listen to calming music or engage in dancing. Music has a powerful impact on our nervous system, with studies showing that listening to music can stimulate the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin which are associated with mood regulation and stress reduction. Moving your body can be a beneficial way to move tension out.

How to Involve Kids:

• Have a dance party in your living room with calming, rhythmic music.

• Take turns playing follow-the-leader with dance moves or just move freely.

This can be a perfect way to release energy before bedtime. It may sounds counterintuitive to get the kids all giddy before bed but when paired with tasks in a good bedtime routine, dance and movement can greatly help to relax the kids before bed, thus leading to a more relaxing night for you!

Art & Creativity

Activity: 

Engage in creative activities like drawing, painting, or crafting. Research has shown that the act of creating art can help reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, leading to feelings of relaxation and calm. The focus and concentration you tend to have when crafting or creating art, can also promote mindfulness and reduce anxiety levels.

How to Involve Kids:

Set up a crafting station with supplies for both you and your kids. Work on individual projects side by side or create a collaborative piece of art. Here are 5 very simple and fun arts and crafts projects to get you jump started:

1. Finger painting: Use non-toxic paint and large sheets of paper for a messy yet enjoyable activity. You can make prints with paints from random things like leaves, stamps, sponges, and more.

2. Homemade playdough: Mix flour, water, salt, and food coloring for a cost-effective way to keep little hands busy. Play pretend restaurant!

3. Nature collages: Collect leaves, flowers, and other natural items to create beautiful artwork. Pinterest has all the ideas!

4. Paper plate masks: Cut eye holes and a mouth out of paper plates, then let your child decorate them with markers, paint, or stickers.

5. Cardboard box creations: Encourage imaginative play by providing cardboard boxes for building forts, cars, or playhouses.

Cooking & Baking

Activity: 

Prepare healthy, homemade meals or snacks. Engaging in the creative process of preparing a meal or baking treats requires focus and intention and in the end, can provide a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

How to Involve Kids:

Include your kids in simple cooking tasks like mixing ingredients, kneading dough, or decorating dishes. Talk about the benefits of the ingredients you’re using.

Sensory Play

Activity: 

Engage in sensory play activities like using sand, water, or play-dough. Cooking and Baking can even be a great sensory experience for your child.

How to Involve Kids:

Create sensory bins with various textures for your kids to explore. Join in by using the materials yourself and describing the sensations. Here is a list of good sensory materials for your young kids:

• Pom poms

• Scoops and funnels

• Animal/Insect figurines

• Colored dried rice/beans

• Water beads

• Feathers

• Play-Doh (various colors)

• Kinetic sand

• Water beads

• Finger paint (washable and non-toxic)

• Slime

Self-care with kids can be so healing and helpful to not only your child but also you! I believe it is a parent’s responsibility to introduce concepts and loving ways to calm the nervous system to the child. “Self-care” is about tending to your nervous system and keeping overwhelm at bay. With so much stimuli in this modern world, “self-care” in this way, is imperative for the health of you and your kids! This shared experience can teach your kids the importance of taking care of themselves from a young age.

While finding time for self-care may be difficult, involving your child in these practices can make it a more attainable and enjoyable task. Overall getting your child involved in your everyday life can even include moments that FILL your cup and not just drain it.