I was read bedtime stories long before I heard a guided visualization. My mom would read while my sister and I rested on the floor against the side of my bed. Shortly after closing the book, my sister would make her way to her room, I’d climb into bed, and we’d be drifting off to sleep in those super cozy pajamas with the feet attached. (The good old days!)
Storytelling has a unique, yet predictable way of relaxing the listener’s mind and body. A story can focus the listener’s attention. That focus settles the mind. And when the mind is settled, the body finds ease. When the mind and body are relaxed, the body can repair and restore itself from the day that has unfolded.
I’m seeing in yoga classes with elementary-aged children that they are tired- physically, mentally and emotionally. Each week in class they ask if I have a visualization to share. Often mid-class they’ll ask if it’s time to relax.
Kids are tired!
But that doesn’t mean they navigate getting relaxed with any more ease or speed than adults. How quickly can you wind down at the end of your day? How quickly can you shut your mind off when you are tired?
My answer for both is “not rapidly.” I am often tired but still need to ease into relaxation. My experience…kids have the same challenges! They just may not know how to ask for what they need to find ease.
I’ve read numerous self-created visualizations in my classes with children. They respond well to them, but I don’t think we need special scripts to help kids settle. Thousands of authors have crafted stories with the same intention. Libraries are filled with them.
I offer two titles below. I will discuss each of these books in greater detail in future posts or in practices on this site, but I think it’s worth sharing the titles of their works now.
Why?
Daylight is increasing as we shift from spring to summer. Children will soon move from the routine of school to the slightly more free-spirited schedule of summer vacation. Temperatures and humidity are increasing for many of us. These are just three shifts in the world of a child that lengthen their days thereby shortening their nights. It’s not effortless to fall asleep when it’s still light outside. It’s not as easy to relax when the humidity is high. And when schedules shift, our internal clocks can take awhile to catch up.
This yearly transition is a great time to start or expand a bedtime story practice. It’s a simple way to invite ease into children’s bodies and minds before they attempt to sleep. (I use the word “attempt” intentionally…because that’s what we do when we aren’t at ease before we climb into bed. It can be frustrating- even for a kid).
Let’s check out these two books:
The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson
Swanson’s book, with pictures by Beth Krommes, is short, simple and focused on the connections between the things in our lives and the world around us. It’s a cumulative pattern-based story, so the reader hears objects connected to one another and then connected again in reverse. For example, the key is connected to the house. Later the house is connected to the key.
I often use progression in my visualizations. I slowly build images on top of each other- eventually reaching a peak image. I then gradually wind back to the starting object. At the beginning of the practice the children have lots of mental energy to formulate the images. Slowly drawing them back through the steps from which they came allows them to start to let go of the image. Acts of letting go can invite the mind and body to release tension. More ease= swifter route to slumber.
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss
Krauss’ book is also short. Although Krauss focuses on the transition from winter to spring and that’s right now “out of season” for us, the pace of the story mirrors that of many visualizations. She begins by talking about various animals that are sleeping and repeats short phrases. (I regularly start a visualization talking about what they will do- relax, rest, etc! And I repeat myself). Krauss then moves through scenes with animals waking for spring, touching on the liveliness of the season. (This mirrors the build common in visualizations to capture their attention.) She calmly ends with just a light reference to a spring flower in bloom and all the animals pausing to notice it. (Visually bringing it back to stillness invites physical stillness).
These are just two options. I could (and want to!) offer many more titles for those who want suggestions. If your kids have specific topics they love, leave me a comment. I will happily make additional suggestions.
Happy reading!
Namaste.
