Pottering and other Calming Activities

Pottering and other Calming Activities

 

It’s good for children to learn to enjoy just pottering around, and not to grow up with the expectation that they should be constantly on the go or entertained by someone or something else. 

 

Constantly rushing puts us into fight, flight or flee state 

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This sends our nervous system into overdrive, driving our hormones crazy, shortening our breath, pumping our adrenalin, and leaving us exhausted. Not really what we want for our children or for ourselves for that matter. So learning to potter is great for calming us down. 

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Ideas for both children and parents, to help recharge the brain and create a sense of calm and happiness 

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• Reading 

• Colouring (mandalas can be great for the older children/parents) 

• Mindfulness Meditation (see separate Mindfulness Meditation Resource page for some guided meditations to try) 

• Play an instrument 

• Draw (there are some awesome YouTube drawing videos at Art for Kids Hub, see Helpful Resources below for a link)  

• Listen to music 

• Playing sport 

• Jumping on the trampoline 

• Swimming 

• Walking in nature 

 

It’s great for parents to have their ‘something’ that creates a sense of happiness and calm. Not only is it a great recharger, it’s also fantastic role modelling for the kids. 

 

Find your thing... something repetitious that gives you joy. It might be knitting, Sudoku, playing the guitar, cross words, meditation, mandala colouring or peeling pistachios (for an explanation around the ‘peeling pistachios’ example, go

to a little more of our story) 

 

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Questions to ask ourselves: 

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• Does the amount of time and attention I currently offer my family indicate that they're a top priority in my life? 

• Does the time and attention I offer myself indicate that I am a top priority? 

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For all of us serial ‘busy makers’ saying I don’t have time for that kind of non-productive rubbish I read an interesting article about the difference between wasting time vs. giving yourself a break, here are a couple of points I really liked: 

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• Downtime rejuvenates you, so you can return to your busy life more refreshed 

• There's a big difference between consciously doing nothing versus wasting time 

• Restorative downtime is critical for our mental and physical health 

• We have this idea that we have to be productive every second, but what we need is an authoritative voice telling us to take breaks in our day, to slow down! 

 

And if you're still not sure whether you're wasting time or giving yourself a much-needed break, try Vanderkam's rule; 
 

If you're enjoying yourself, you're probably not wasting your time.

 

The bottom line is, get Rest to do your Best!

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HELPFUL RESOURCES