Last week, a friend came to me and asked me to make a nighttime audio for her daughter\u00a0who is going away to summer camp. Her daughter has enjoyed my other calming audios\u00a0but wanted one specifically to help her when she was away from the family. I wanted to\u00a0incorporate some techniques and practices I know for \u201cTaking in The Good\u201d and\u00a0\u201cGetting Through Difficult Times.\u201d This one is for you Miss MacKenzie.<\/p>\n
![\"SummerCamp\"](\"https:\/\/www.rickhanson.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/SummerCamp.jpg\")
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* I offer all parents and children this free audio download<\/a> on my site:\u00a0Happinessandjoylessons.com<\/p>\n I have been teaching children for over 25 years and Rick\u2019s work has added enormously to\u00a0helping my students center, become more mindful and take in the good. The\u00a0neuroscience he shares has become common language in our classroom. We talk of the\u00a0amygdala, hippocampus, neurons and the brain almost daily in some form or another. We\u00a0talk about letting the good really sink in and changing our emotional memories. We have\u00a0children drink in good feelings for 15 seconds or more to really anchor these memories in\u00a0the body. Children are empowered by this knowledge and know they can change their\u00a0brains for the better.<\/p>\n Please read below at my offerings of how to help prepare a child for summer camp. This\u00a0work is infused with Rick\u2019s rich teachings.<\/p>\n \u2014 Michele<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Remember all children are different.<\/strong> What works for one of your children may\u00a0not work for another. Let them know anxiety is normal and natural and there are\u00a0ways to train the mind and body to simply acknowledge the anxiety and move\u00a0into the calm. Remember children are all individuals. They react in so many\u00a0ways, just as you do, to different experiences. Dr. Hanson reminds us: \u201cSimilarly,\u00a0children in the anxious\/rigid range of temperament also benefit from consciously\u00a0soaking in good feelings, since they tend to ignore or downplay the evidence for\u00a0those positive experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Baby steps:<\/strong> prepare your child. You can start now before summer even shines her\u00a0warm rays upon us.<\/p>\n 3. Allow them to have autonomy<\/strong> and to help pick the camp as much as you\u00a0possibly can. Having choice will make the experience more powerful and create a\u00a0sense of autonomy.<\/p>\n 4. Create support and community:<\/strong> Look online or talk with other children who\u00a0have been there. Give them something to look forward to. Dr. Hanson says, \u201cIn\u00a0sum, your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive\u00a0ones.\u201d So why not get them focussed on the positive?<\/p>\n 5. Practice:<\/strong> Do a mini sleepover of a day or two. Talk about the experiences they\u00a0had and how they worked through the emotions.<\/p>\n 6. Empathize<\/strong> with fears but stand back and name them rather than get caught up in\u00a0them.<\/p>\n 7. Let your confidence infuse them<\/strong>. Let your child know you are confident they\u00a0will handle what comes up. Let them know they have the resources to handle\u00a0difficult emotions as well as happy ones.<\/p>\n 8. Teach your child some simple facts about the brain<\/strong> to help them understand\u00a0that neurons that fire together wire together. We want our brain in the groove of\u00a0happiness. Many times I tell children: \u201cIf you are stuck in your head and cannot\u00a0create something positive, go out and do something for someone else or a positive\u00a0thing for animals.\u201d Doing these acts takes our focus outside ourselves and brings\u00a0in a sense of contentment, peacefulness and joy.<\/p>\n 9. Just thinking of those who love you makes you feel better.<\/strong><\/p>\n 10. Relax:<\/strong> Teach your child full body relaxation tips to get their nervous system to\u00a0relax. If they practice many times before they go to camp they will easily relax\u00a0into the calm and have an anchor to relieve nighttime anxiety. Dr. Hanson tells us,\u00a0\u201cIf the circuits of the soothing parasympathetic nervous system become more\u00a0sensitized with practice, they help dampen stress reactions and support\u00a0equanimity.\u201d<\/p>\n 11. Take in the Good:<\/strong> Because we know the brain, evolutionally is Velcro for the\u00a0negative and Teflon for the positive we have to seek out the positive. You might\u00a0have your child take a journal and write, draw or chat to themselves about the top\u00a0great things that happened in the day. Tell them to let those great feeling sink into\u00a0the body for 10 or 15 seconds so the brain has a chance to wire in the feeling and\u00a0build the deep emotional memories.<\/p>\n 12. It is okay to come up against challenges and feel uncomfortable:<\/strong> We so often\u00a0want to protect our children from any source of difficulty. What we must\u00a0remember is that doable challenges and tough emotions are part of life and\u00a0actually build resilience and competence. Of course your child will have some\u00a0discomfort being away from the family. (Some might not, so don\u2019t beat yourself\u00a0up over this one either. Ha Ha.) But small steps that are supported can build a\u00a0huge well of resilience to draw upon when needed. Children can be reminded how\u00a0they got through the camp experience and maybe even look back and see how\u00a0they grew and blossomed from being away. So be gentle with yourselves, Mom\u00a0and Dad, even if the kids are uncomfortable, this is positive growth.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Awakening Joy for Kids<\/strong> You can preorder here<\/a>. Due out August 9, 2016<\/p>\n *Spirit Rock founder, author, and teacher James Baraz\u2019s Awakening Joy<\/em> offers his\u00a0large and devoted readership a program to gain contentment and happiness by\u00a0cultivating the seeds of joy within. Here he joins with Michele Lilyanna, a\u00a0classroom teacher for 25 years, to offer caregivers and children ways to find joy\u00a0in each day together.<\/p>\n This unique offering nourishes both adults and kids. James shares the practices for\u00a0the adults\u2014parents, caregivers, and teachers. Michele offers her own\u00a0experiences\u00a0as a parent and as a teacher, showing\u00a0how the themes work with kids,\u00a0followed by the tried and true lessons that she\u2019s used herself in the classroom and\u00a0Packed with practices and activities that James and Michele have gathered over\u00a0their many years of working with thousands of adults and children in retreats,\u00a0workshops, and the classroom, Awakening Joy for Kids<\/em> is imbued with\u00a0compassion and delight. Part of Parallax Press' growing curriculum for parents\u00a0and educators designed to cultivate joy and mindfulness in children.<\/p>\n Meditations for Happiness: Rewire Your Brain for Lasting Contentment and\u00a0Peace<\/strong> \u2013 Audiobook, CD, by Rick Hanson<\/p>\n The post Dr. Rick Hanson and Summer Camp: Who knew?<\/a> appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is a guest post from Michelle Lilyanna at Happinessandjoylessons.com Last week, a friend came to me and asked me to make a nighttime audio for her daughter who is going away to summer camp. Her daughter has enjoyed my other calming audios but wanted one specifically to…<\/p>\n The post Dr. Rick Hanson and Summer Camp: Who knew?<\/a> appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2679,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-1099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nHelping Prepare Your Child For Summer Camp And For Being Away\u00a0From Home<\/h3>\n
\nSupportive books for children<\/h3>\n
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For parents: We all need a little help too!<\/h3>\n
\nBy: James Baraz (Author), Michele Lilyanna (Author)<\/p>\n<\/a>
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