BrainMoves for more Peaceful Transitions at Home
Last week, we talked about how transitions between activities in a preschool classroom can be a challenge. Well, we know the same thing can happen at home. Preschool brains and bodies can respond intensely to stimuli, interruptions of games, or when asked to participate in necessary quiet times for naps. They can also struggle with pauses in motion, such as waiting for a snack, meal, or in line at the grocery store with a parent. Today, we are going to match some specific BrainMoves movements to specific at-home transitions to make your family’s time together more calm and fun.
As mentioned last week, being able to sit, listen, and transition between tasks and conversations will also help children in social settings. However, many children have difficulty transitioning between activities, and their naturally black-and-white thinking can lead to frustration. This may cause some children to feel anxious, while others may become oppositional.
Here are four more transitions that can pose challenges at home and the reasons why.
1. Waking up too early or being hard to wake up.
Why is this hard?
You might think this presents two different challenges, but it really comes from the same place: the child’s body patterns are misaligned for the activity at hand. If the child wakes up at 3 AM ready to go, they have transitioned from sleep too early and are already excited for the day. You can do BrainMoves’ Bear Cub movement to calm your preschooler’s nervous system and help him be calmer.
If the child fusses, complains, and drags themselves out of bed, they are still stuck in the nurturing comfort of their bed. If waking up is difficult, teary outbursts or hyperactivity may follow if the issue is pushed. Do the StartUp six movements. This will soothe the child's nervous system and help them calm their thoughts. You can do the first two movements while your preschooler is still lying in bed and then ask them to do the last four movements while sitting up in bed. This should help with the transition between sleepy and ready to go.
This is also a great time to double-check the consistency of your child's schedule. Do they go to bed and get up at the same time each day? Do they get 8 hours of sleep, or if they are a fitful sleeper, do they get 8 hours of dark, screenless time? If not, set boundaries for everyone's schedule to give both you and your child the rest you need.
2. Stopping a game or activity, like leaving a park or picking up a project off the kitchen table so a meal can be served.
Why is this transition tough?
Children are black-and-white thinkers, and most find focus on play very soothing. A focused “mess” with all their objects around a table or spread out on the floor can feel like a monumental chore to clean up as they have to consider and put away each object individually. A movement like the Octopus, which helps with hand-eye coordination, or Snakes Hugging, which helps make left to right brain connection by using the eyes and the arms.
If your preschooler doesn’t listen to directions that involve stopping a fun activity, do the Koala Cub movement to help with listening and auditory processing and give two five minute warnings to help your child prepare for the transition.
3. Transitioning from outdoor play in the evening.
Why is this challenging?
Outdoor play is exciting, often loud, and has fewer boundaries than indoor play. Transitioning to an environment with quieter voices, smaller body motions, and generally requiring more fine motor skills can be awkward.
BrainMoves movements that help improve a child's proprioception—their personal awareness of how they move and exist in space—along with self-soothing movements can make this transition easier, making your child less likely to bump into things or knock over items. Doing three of the “cubs”—the Polar Bear Cub, the Tiger Cub, and the Bear Cub—can help them settle.
4. Waiting in lines, Long car rides or rides on public transportation.
Why is this transition tough?
Patience is a developed skill, and even adults are challenged by this one. Long car rides or waiting while shopping can create restlessness. This transition has an added challenge because it can be a LONG transition. Both the parent and the child can feel a sense of in-betweenness. The Duckling movement can help preschoolers regulate and focus, and it has the added benefit of being able to be done in a car or in the grocery store line. The Toucan can help bring circulation back into the frontal lobes of the brain, so your child will be thinking more logically and clearly about the situation. The Leopard can help her stay calm and relaxed by helping to keep cortisol levels at an even pace.
When two children want to use the same toy or piece of playground equipment at the same time, and if they are a bit tired or overstimulated, sharing can become a challenge.
Why is this transition tough?
This can make some children possessive and hold on while others might try to snatch the item. If an activity requires a lot of sharing back and forth, doing the Startup Six can help prepare the children’s brains and bodies for observing, participating, and staying calm. This will help them pay attention to each other.
Everyday life is a big adventure for preschoolers, but it can also be tough when it comes to sharing toys and moving from one activity to another.
These situations can lead to frustration or anxiety for some children. To make things easier, using calming BrainMoves movements in their daily routine can really help. These four helpful tips for calming preschoolers at home, together with the six from last week, provide parents, occupational therapists, and teachers the tools they need to support kids' emotional growth and make their time in preschool and at home more enjoyable. By using these strategies, we can help children learn to manage their feelings and connect better with their friends.
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