REFOCUSING – A WONDERFUL TECHNIQUE

Imagine this! A group of children who want to learn, who are calm, relaxed and receptive to learning.
Children who are having fun and being creative. Whose emotional energy state is stable and focused.
How can you achieve this?

Introduce ‘Refocusing’ into your day

Introduce 5-15 minute sessions throughout the day, which are spent on helping the children to refocus and center their energy. Help them to change their hyperactive, scattered energy state to a calmer more peaceful one and be more receptive to learning!
This is time well spent for yourself and the children to recharge your batteries. This helps make your day easier and to flow.

How do you do this?

You can weave into your day short sessions of refocusing the child’s energy and attention by introducing Breathing and Body Awareness and Relaxation/Visualization exercises into your day.

For example at the beginning of the day or just after lunch when the children’s energy may be scattered you can use one of the relaxation and refocusing activities from Module one of the Rainbow Planet Connection resources.

For example, Activity 2 called ‘the Garden’ takes them back on a journey to a special garden where they feel peaceful and relaxed. A worksheet accompanies this visualization where the children can draw a picture of what they saw in their beautiful garden.

Or you can use techniques, which facilitate the release of pent up emotional energy such as putting the Feelings Cards around the room at the beginning of the day e.g. angry, sad, happy etc. You then ask the children to stand next to the one that most describes how they feel.  Then allow them to say why they feel like this.
This technique enables children to let go of emotional energy, and release and clear this from their body to become more receptive to learning.

You can use the activities we offer with the whole class over a number of weeks perhaps during circle time. Or you can use them with children in small groups. Some of the exercises from Body Awareness Module 2 involve teaching children relaxation and body awareness techniques to help them to get in touch with their feelings and where they are in their body.

They tune in to the colour and shape of the feelings and how these feelings are affecting them and their behaviour. They then learn how to breathe deeply and change the colour and shape to a more harmonious one if necessary.

This type of exercise works brilliantly with children (and adults) and I have used it many times over the course of my professional career as both a teacher and a counsellor. You can help the children and yourself get into a totally different state quite quickly using these methods.

You probably have children in your class who are challenging when it comes to sitting quietly and concentrating. They may even have lots of issues, which are causing them emotional hurt and pain. You can’t fix this for them but you can provide them with a wonderful school environment where they feel safe and nurtured. You can create a six-hour day for them where they leave behind their hurt and are present and open to learning.

Rainbow Planet Connection has lots of ideas and exercises you can use for ‘refocusing.’

Below is some feedback from facilitators who have used Rainbow Planet Connection’s Refocusing and Calming Activities with positive results:

• “The children immediately took to the breathing exercises and many come into each class, asking when we can do our breathing/relaxation exercises. I believe the children are learning to exercise self-discipline and to self calm. I have to push them out the door when it is time for them to leave – really!”
• With other groups ages ranging from 5-12 years:
  “I was really surprised to see how they identified with different shapes and colours which represented different feelings. I found this the most awesome part of the night; I didn’t realize how readily they would identify and label.”