It is well known to parents: changing the time often disrupts children’s sleep. And even their mood during the day. To experience the transition to winter time, Clémentine Joachim, sophrologist, offers an exercise to do with her children. At bedtime, when your child is lying in bed, guide him through this basic sophronization, or “body scan”.
In the evening, we turn off the light …
• Do it first focus on your breathing by making him observe the slight movements on his thorax, his stomach, feel the air at the edge of his nostrils.
• Then help him relax all the muscles in his body: start by doing it. relax the muscles in his face. To guide him in this relaxation which will help him fall asleep, Clémentine Joachim suggests proceeding as follows: “Make him imagine that he turns off the light on each part of his face because all his muscles need to rest. Take the time to detail this visualization: have him turn off the light on his forehead, his eyelids, his cheeks, his jaws, his chin, his throat ”.
• Continue to relax: have him turn off the light in his neck, his shoulders which need rest after wearing the backpack, his arms that perhaps hug a doudou, make him turn off the light on a blanket that needs to sleep too! Carry on the body scan : ask him to turn off the light on his back which rests on the cozy mattress, then on his chest, his belly which needs to sleep to digest dinner and make him grow taller and stronger, his legs which need resting from all the activities of the day so that you can run again, cycle and soon have fun in the playground, then his feet.
• Finally, finish by pointing out to him that all the lights on his body are off, that everything is calm in his body, in his head, with maybe the moon and the stars shining. The night can begin, and the sweet dreams too!
In the morning, we turn on the light!
“When you wake up, when your child is still lying in bed, use this body scan exercise again, this time having him turn on the light in each part of his body according to his an ascending body pattern which promotes energy ”suggests the sophrologist.
Start by having him turn on the light at his feet, or have him imagine the sun rising at his feet. Then continue with the legs that have recovered that night and are ready to do new activities until the end of the vacation then to return to school on November 8. Then her belly that is hungry and ready to devour the Breakfast to gain strength for this new day … etc, up to the head. Make him feel that all his muscles have rested, that his head is ready to learn new things, and that his memory is activated for the whole day.
As the practice progresses, your child will become more and more independent and can practice this exercise on his own. Take advantage of the holidays to teach him this technique of well-being. And if necessary, wake him up 5 minutes earlier in the morning to start the day.