Whole School – Friday’s Home Learning

1. Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Keep your eyes open.
2. Imagine tree roots growing from the bottoms of your feet down into the earth. Feel connected to the ground. 
3. Slowly lift one foot and press the bottom of it against the ankle of your other leg, if you can.
4. Clasp your hands together in front of you, with just your pointer fingers extended. Lift your clasped hands over your head.
5. Balance, relax into the position and smile. You are rooted like a tree.
6. Lower your arms and try balancing on your other foot. Do you feel any different?

If you wobble, that is OK. Trees sway in the wind, but roots keep them balanced and steady all day.

Recap what you talked about last week – that anxiety or feeling anxious are about worries that are difficult to get out of our thoughts. That those worries can make us feel a mixture of this and that it is normal to feel worried or anxious from time to time. 

Then discuss with your child that everyone has worries and that they are not alone. People do, however, worry about different things and that is also very normal. Ask your child if they have any worries they would like to share. When they share their worries don’t try to solve them or tell them not to worry. Accept their worry by saying something like ‘I know that other people worry about that too. Brains are complicated and that means we all worry about different things in different ways.’ 

You and your child should both have a blank piece of paper, draw or write all the things you feel worried about. They can be little worries, they can be big worries. Acknowledging worry or anxiousness can help us to understand and deal with it. Knowing that everyone has worries also gives us permission to acknowledge them and therefore deal with the emotions we feel. Once you and your child have drawn or written your worries ask your child if they want to discuss any of them with you. If they don’t, that is fine and if they do, acknowledge that you’ve heard their worry but don’t try and fix it or solve it. You can say things like ‘what do you do to feel better when you worry like that?’