Starting primary or secondary school is exciting, but can also be a time of stress as children adjust to the challenges of being away from home, following school rules and fitting in with their classmates.
It can be hard for young children to articulate their anxieties to their parents, while older children may be ashamed to admit that they are having problems. EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a gentle and effective therapy which uses tapping on certain points of the body to release emotion and balance the energy system.
Sarah Naylor in Stow has worked with many children between the ages of three and 16 and says: “EFT is wonderful for children as they can learn to use the technique on themselves.”
It is a non-invasive therapy which allows the child to be in charge, and children generally enjoy the process as it shifts and clears away any negative emotions they are suffering.
It can be helpful for many issues, from separation anxiety to bullying and self-harming.
Helping children learn
Many parents and teachers will remember that in ‘our day’, playground activities like throwing, catching, walking balance beams, skipping etc were the norm.
Nowadays, many children spend their free time in front of TV screens or computers. For children to have healthy, strong brains, daily physical activity like walking, swimming, cycling, skipping, running, trampolining or martial arts, is beneficial for developing stronger neural connections in the brain.
Learning differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia (DCD), dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ASD and ADHD affect 10-15 per cent of the UK population, with four per cent seriously affected. The effects of having a learning difference may lead to loss of self-confidence and depression.
Jane Oliver at Brightbrain Scotland helps children and adults to develop focus, attention skills, self esteem, reading, writing, maths, speech and language, memory and organisational skills through the Bal-A-Vis-X programme, which includes rhythmic Balance, auditory, vision, exercises using sandbags, racquetballs and balance boards.
A fun programme designed for everyone, at school, home or the workplace, Bal-A-Vis-X will create a buzz!
Freeing children from pain
It’s normal for children to bump and scrape themselves as they grow, and with a hug, a plaster and an encouraging word, most are soon back to their energetic selves. Children can also be involved in road accidents.
Even where medical check-ups find nothing severe, and appropriate car-seat belts have been used, aches and pains can result from the children’s limbs and head being thrown about.
But what if the pain doesn’t go away? What about those who have pain with no evidence of injury- maybe due to referred pain, carrying heavy school-bags, or poor posture?
Children of all ages can be helped by cranial osteopathy (possibly better known for treating babies) and/or traditional osteopathic techniques.
Articulation and gentle mobilisation to joints and relaxation of muscles and other soft tissues improve the body’s symmetry of movement and lessen the disease in, and need to compensate for, tight or sore areas of the body whilst growing up.