A big “welcome” to Katherine Lockett from Creative Playhouse, joining us with today’s guest post!
I’m so excited to be guest posting here at Not Just Cute. Thanks for having me. :-)I have a very active and bright 2.5 year old boy who very rarely slows down; he just about manages to sit for his dinner and a story here and there… he is also an intense little creature with big emotions and a busy mind. I recently decided to turn our under stairs toy cupboard into a ‘quiet room’ for him where he could go to relax, calm down and chill out.
Having a designated quiet room allows a child to choose to take time out to be still and quiet. Why is this important?
- It gives the child a chance to refresh their mind and body, which is especially important if they no longer nap.
- It may help your child focus and concentrate.
- Your child may develop an understanding of their own need to stop and relax for a while.
- It may help your child build skills in managing stress and other big feelings
- It may help prevent over stimulation (which can lead to meltdowns and tantrums) from a busy household with other children, a new baby, or other noisy activities.
- It gives your child a special space just for them, which may help with self esteem and building inner confidence.
- It provides an opportunity for your child to think and reflect upon his or her day, developing self awareness and promoting positive behaviour.
The room should:
- be safe!!
- be calming
- not be too stimulating
- appeal to your child’s likes and interests
- be away or closed off from noise and bustle
Here are some ideas for creating a quiet space:
- Keep it minimal; too much stuff will clutter the space; which is not conducive to a relaxing environment.
- Use calming music or quiet audiobooks playing, perhaps on an ipod which you can teach your child how to turn on and off easily. If you child is very easily over stimulated complete quiet may work better.
- Use low lights; we use fairy lights strung on the ceiling; Jake knows how to turn them off if he prefers darkness, or to use his light toys… You could also use a mood light or lava lamp to encourage relaxation.
- Include a few sensory toys; for example we have a basket of light toys (glow stick, flashing balls, star projector), a small basket of fiddly toys (busy hands quiet the mind), some homemade stress balls, a glitter bottle (shake and watch the glitter settle), and a small tray of mini books. This might be too much for your child – try just one basket with 1 book, 1 light toy and a stress ball.
- Make it cozy; set out some pillows, a bean bag and/or blankets to encourage your child to sit or lie down comfortably. A favourite teddy or other comforter may be useful too.
- Include anything else that you know your child would respond well to, for example we also have a poster on the wall with lots of different faces on (happy, sad, loving, angry, etc) which Jake likes to ponder over.
When you introduce your child to their quiet space, explain what is for and that it is just for them; to use whenever they feel the need. Be sure to set out some guidelines too; for instance that the room needs to be looked after and tidied once finished with. To begin with you may want to encourage them to use the room when you feel they could benefit from it, in time you should find they begin to use it when they feel the need. You might also want to sit with your child sometimes; relax with them; this models behaviour, helps you connect, and you might find you really benefit from taking some time out too.
Does your child have a quiet space?
Does your child have a quiet space?
Katherine has a background in special education, early years childcare, and has a BA and MA in the creative and performing arts. She blogs at Creative Playhouse about her children’s activities and interests, runs an online community of Mums in Jersey, and is a stay at home mum to Jake (2.5) and Poppy (3 months).
My 2.5 year old daughter sounds very much like your son. This could be a great idea for her. Thanks for sharing.
When I clicked over to this post from my email subscription, I had the usual foreboding feeling of “yeah, right, works for everyone else’s kid but won’t work for mine.” But, Katherine, you had me hooked at the end of the first paragraph: your son sounds a LOT like my Moose. This gives me some great ideas to ponder, and knowing where you’re coming from with it makes me feel like it just might work for us. Thank you!
So sorry for the very late reply! But thank you so much for your comment! It means so much to me, and Im so happy that I might have been able to help 🙂
An absolute great post that I can recommend to everybody! I work now during summer with kids of different ages and each and every one of them during the morning are searching for quietness and (hugs).
Love,
Angelique
Thanks so much Angelique!
Thanks for this post. My 16 month old is very like your child (bright, curious and prone to ‘end of the day meltdowns’) and I have found distraction and games calm the nerves most. Having a chilldown place is such a good idea and I am looking for beanbags and toys for the garden room. The chilldown place is a little corner with slideable doors in the downstairs room. It has a futon couch and a giant teddy already. Thanks for the wisdom. I think this will have a very positive effect on our son.
That sounds like a great space for a little one. Thanks for sharing. We’ve since outgrown this room with now having 2 children and a conservatory or similar sounds like a great alternative 🙂
I just came across this and wanted to say how nice the suggestions were. Whether toddlers, or children many need some time to relax and recharge. Little ones are still getting a handle on their emotions and being able to handle much stress. I really liked the comment about the calming music. That works well.