5 Attachment-Based Activities to Strengthen Parent-Child Relationships

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I tried to teach my child with books. He gave me only puzzled looks.

I used clear words to discipline,

But I never seemed to win.

Despairingly, I turned aside.

‘How shall I reach this child?’ I cried.

Into my hand he put the key:

‘Come,’ he said, ‘Play with me.’

Worth Reading – from off the web!

Children who are displaying problematic behaviors such as having difficulty managing their emotions, having aggressive behaviors, or who often act whiny or needy may benefit from attachment-based activities. This is particularly true if the child has experienced challenges during the first few years of life.

Attachment-based activities can also be helpful for children who may have experienced some trauma or even less severe stressful situations.

These activities are even useful for well-behaving, happy children! Attachment-based activities are essential and beneficial for all children and adults as well. If you are a parent and your relationship with your child has been strained for any reason, if you and your child don’t seem to be getting along very well, or if you simply want to strengthen the relationship between you and your child, attachment-based activities can help to do that.

Attachment-based activities are activities that enhance the attachment between the child and parent. Attachment is the bond that children develop with their primary caregivers in the first few years of life. This attachment is extremely important. It,determines how the child relates to others- the nature of their relationships, and how they view themselves and other people and the world for the rest of their lives.

Here They Are:

1. Playful Copycat – or Mirroring the Child

This activity does not necessarily require any physical items or toys. All it takes is having the parent and child both present and ready to interact with each other. The basic idea for this activity is to have the parent playfully copy what the child is doing, such as by having the child begin by clapping his hands together and having the parent clap their hands in the same volume and speed as the child. When the child changes his style of clapping (such as louder or softer), the parent should imitate the child. Eye contact, smiles, and laughs are also helpful to promote a healthy relationship and repair or enhance attachment. Mirroring can also be done with other activities, such as jumping, playing with toys, or facial expressions.

2. Bean Bag Game

Have the child place a bean bag or another soft toy that is fairly easy to balance on top of his head. Have the parent sit in front of the child and place their hands in front of of the child. The child is then directed to tip its head forward to try to get the bean bag in the parent’s hands. The child should tip his head when the parent blinks their eyes. (This will promote eye contact.) Have the parent use as much eye contact as possible. Again, it is important for the parent and child to have fun with this activity. Laughter has been found to be healing and can help to repair and enhance a relationship.

3. Piggy-Back Rides -Fun and Physical , Safe Contact.

Piggy-back rides can help to strengthen parent-child relationships and repair or enhance attachment because they involve fun and physical closeness. When children are babies, they need plenty of physical contact with their parents. Babies thrive not only from being fed and kept physically safe, but also from feeling the comfort and security of having their parent close to them.

4. Lotion Massage

Using lotion to massage a child’s hands or feet can enhance attachment and strengthen a parent-child relationship. The massage can relax a person’s physical body by reducing tension and bringing the brain into a less defensive state.

5. Brushing Hair

Sometimes girls can be fussy about getting their hair brushed, especially if they have experienced pain from well-meaning parents brushing their hair too hard. However, allowing a daughter to gently brush her mother’s hair and having a mother gently brush her daughter’s hair can be an activity that can promote connection. This can be a calming activity that includes a sense of nurturing which connects to a person’s internal experience of attachment and bonding.

You don’t need kids for these bonding activities! Try some of these with a friend, loved one, or lover! Have fun!

Source: 5 Attachment-Based Activities to Strengthen Parent-Child Relationships

A Mindful Minute: 3 Fun Mindfulness Exercises

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Take Your Child from “What If” to “What Is”

Inspired by questions from my last article How Mindful Children React Different to Challenges, I’m putting out a new weekly post with FUN mindfulness exercises for the family. After all, who said mindfulness had to be a drag?!

Remember, mindfulness takes training. The goal is to train your mind to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgement or criticism. In this, you can cut out habitual, negative thought patterns and prevent downward spirals of negativity. You further carve a path to access expansive inner resources of peace, contentment, meaning, and well-being.

If you want to go deeper with your learning, there are many good on and offline materials available. In fact, one of the best books I’ve read on the subject is Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World.

This post (and the ones to follow) will primarily deliver fun and simple exercises you can practice with the family. One goal of these exercises is to train the mind to purposefully focus attention on a present experience. Try them in the morning, before bed, or at my favorite place/time: the dinner table right before you eat.

1. Breathe like a bee.

Mindfulness GoZen Exercise

Mindfulness Exercise Bee Breathing GoZen2. Create magnetic hands.

mindfulness_37_phil_hands_061714

GoZen Mindfulness Cards Exercise3. Dissolve a thought.

Mindfulness to help anxious thoughts - GoZen

You are not your thoughts GoZen Mindfulness exercise

This mindful breathing technique is simple, yet powerful. The best part is it can be done anywhere and requires no equipment whatsoever. Breathing exercises can help shift the nervous system away from fight-or-flight mode (causing racing hearts, sweaty palms, shallow breathing etc.) into rest-and-digest mode (where the body heals and regenerates by performing tasks such as digestion, detoxification, elimination, and bolstering immunity.)

This breathing exercise is a wonderful way to calm anxious states of mind and body. Remember, any exercise should be done to one’s own comfort level.

To try it, watch the video above or follow these instructions:

4-7-8 Breathing

1. Sit upright on the ground or in a chair.
2. Take a deep breath in through your nose to the count of 4.
3. Hold your breath to the count of 7.
4. Exhale through your mouth to the count of 8.

For more animated mindfulness and anxiety relief exercises for kids, visit us atwww.gozen.com

Want the cards for your house or school? Get a pack of GoZen! mindful minute cards here.

Article Link: A Mindful Minute: 3 Fun Mindfulness Exercises For Kids (Illustrated) | Stress Better.