Some Quiet

Adapted from Mr. Rogers website article By Hedda Sharapan

Finding some quiet on days when the house is full of young children isn’t always easy. Here are some ideas that can help:

Quiet time – for the ears
* Have you noticed that when the room is noisy, if you raise your voice level, the children do, too? Try to lower your voice at times like that, and see what happens. Over and over I hear that it really does help when we adults set a quieter tone.

* Do you have a CD of some tranquil music to play? One of my favourites is to use “spa” music in while we’re building with blocks. It seems that the music creates a more thoughtful mood, and that changes the nature of the block-building…and our blood pressure!

* Silence does help to restore us. Be sure there’s quiet time each day at a regular time. It’s the only way to be sure that children will have some quiet in their day.

Quiet time – for the hands
* Think about the calming benefit of sensory activities, like water play or sand play – where the goal is the process, and there’s no pressure to “make something.” On especially wild days you might want to let the children have a longer time at those kinds of activities.

* Keep in mind there’s a wide variety of sensory activities you can choose from: blowing bubbles, fingerpainting, digging holes, mixing play dough, kneading dough, bathing baby dolls or pouring water at the water table.

Quiet time – for the heart
* When things are hectic, it’s hard but try to really listen when a child tells you something that matters to him or her . Children know when you’re really listening.