How to Help Your Kids Get a Good Night's Sleep
Is your sleep routine a little shaken up? Sleep easy! We’ve got great tips for you and your little ones to get in the ZZZzen ZZZzone before bedtime!
We've partnered with Michelle Faber, Yoga & Mindfulness Expert, to provide you with smart sleep solutions to help you and your kids feel calm and get a proper night’s rest.
A plushy for the bedtime rushy
Cuddling with a favourite plush toy usually helps kids feel comforted. So why not invite their bedtime buddy to join a yoga routine before bedtime? Whether your child has pre-test jitters or simply says, “I’m not tired”, there’s something about a sweet stuffie that can help calm your child’s (and your) state of mind.
Breathing buddies at bedtime
“1. Have your kids choose a stuffed animal to be their breathing buddy.
2. Lie down and have them place the stuffie on their tummy and keep thier arms by their sides.
3. Instruct your child to breathe normally and watch the plushie ride up & down on their tummy.
4. Count as they breathe to ensure they are focused on their breath.
5. Continue for as long as they like!”
- Michelle Faber
5 ways to practice a Happy Place Bedtime Meditation
Empower children to take their mind on a trip to their happy place with a bedtime meditation practice that can help anyone, anytime,
anywhere. Using the five senses to visualize their happy place can help make the experience feel real.
“When children are sleep deprived, they’re likely to have a hard time controlling their emotions. A great way to ensure a proper night’s sleep is to incorporate yoga and mindfulness meditation into their bedtime routine to help shift your child’s focus away from anxiety and stress.
Here are my favourite bedtime practices for a calm and restful sleep:
1. Before bedtime, lay with your child in bed & ask them to close their eyes and picture their happy place.
2. They can imagine being in nature, or visualize a story, or remember a great movie, or just have them picture a place that makes them happy.
3. Picture what it feels like to be there. What does it smell like? What do they see? Is anyone there with them? Ask them questions to help them visualize this wonderful place.
4. Take deep breaths as they picture their happy place. Deep breaths in through their nose and out through their mouths.
5. They can stay there for as long as they like.”
- Michelle Faber
Our favourite part about this bedtime meditation is that children can easily practice this on their own and use these steps to self-soothe. Imagining a happy place together initially will give kids the reassurance you are there for them and guide them to learn the steps on how to practice this routine each night. After several nights of repeating this routine, a happy place is somewhere a child's mind can safely travel on its own. With a great night's rest, parents will be in a happy place too!
Hush 5LB Weighted Blanket: Paw Patrol
For a paw-sitive sleep experience, this weighted blanket is designed to help kids feel comforted at bedtime, manage anxiety, and ultimately get a good night’s sleep.
Ideal for children between 30-80 pounds.
Chase or Skye available.
Age 2+
Little Yogi Deck Simple Yoga Practices
There’s no place like om! This colorful card deck featuring 48 simple yoga & mindfulness practices is a great way to help kids work through big emotions and feel calmer before bedtime.
Age 5+
“As you practice yoga before bedtime, remember to take deep breaths as you hold each pose. This will help calm the nervous system. Use the Little Yogi Deck to help guide them through each pose.”
- Michelle Faber
Michelle Faber, CEO and Founder of Little Yogis
Michelle Faber, the CEO and Founder of Little Yogis,
offers a mobile Yoga & Mindfulness program for kids aged 2.5 to 13 years old
in Ontario aimed to improve physical, mental, and emotional health.
Written by Cathy Barbarossa, Senior Copywriter and Editor with contributions by Michelle Faber, Yoga & Mindfulness Expert
TOP PICKS TO HELP KIDS GET A RESTFUL SLEEP
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