Fun Relaxation Games for Your Little One Episode One | ELG | Help children with special needs in China

We all appreciate a soothing massage. It helps to improve blood circulation in the skin, it loosens hardened muscles, and lets us relax and forget the stress of everyday life. Massages for children that are done with imagination, empathy, and sensitivity, can foster their well-being, invite them to dream and rest, and promote relaxation.

A massage is also a good deed for children, as it can support the physical, mental, and spiritual development of the child. Through gentle touch children get to know their body better, learn how to use their body more lovingly, and become better able to pay attention to their body’s signals. Short massage units sensitize the senses, strengthen self-confidence, and contribute to the formation of a positive self-concept.

A few rules must be implemented for a massage to work well:

Find a quiet and pleasantly tempered room or space
Use a comfortable pad, yoga mat, or blanket to lie down on
Go to the toilet before the massage, it is difficult to relax with a full bladder
Remove jewelry and tie long hair together
The massage should not hurt
Don’t massage on bones, especially the spine
Sensitive areas of the body, such as the back of the knee or the inside of the thigh, should not be massaged

How to Bake a Cake

Today we want to bake a cake together! – oh no, the baking tray is still very dirty. Then we must clean it well… first, let water run over the baking tray

All fingers imitate flowing water through wave movements from top to bottom.

In addition, make a – tsch- sound.

Now rub the tray clean…

Using your fist, rub the back/tray clean

Oh, the baking tray is really dirty, we need more water…

All fingers imitate flowing water through wave movements from top to bottom

There’s something sticking there – and here I can also see some dirt.

We must brush it again!!

Hold 5 fingers of one hand vertical and imitate the brush

…and again more water to rinse…

See above

Of course, we now must dry the wet baking tray

Both hands press flat on the back several times from top to bottom to dry the tray

Done, now we can start baking. We start with some flour – we pile it up and make a hole in the middle…

Using both hands and fingers, pour the flour onto the back, push together, pile up and press a hole in the middle

Then of course we need sugar…

All Fingertips imitate the sugar sprinkling

What else needs to be in the cake? Yes, of course, eggs!

All 4 touching fingertips hit the eggs vertically on the back. Then the fingertips press out evenly – the egg runs wide. Alternatively, you can put one hand on the back and gently hit it with the other hand. Then repeat.

Now a pinch of salt… and raisins – do you like raisins?

Salt is imitated like sugar. Add the raisins by applying your fingertips with light pressure.

Now the dough must be kneaded strongly…

Knead with both hands

We spread butter on the baking tray…

4 fingers of one hand brush into the baking tray

We roll the dough out evenly with the rolling pin…

Use one forearm to roll out the dough with pressure, the other arm can be used to guide

Should we bake a cherry cake today? Or an apple pie?

Carefully press in the cherries with a fingertip, apple pieces are imitated by the back of the index finger. Any other type of fruit can also be selected

Let’s do crumbles on the cake today too, it’s so delicious

Imitate the crumbles using your fingertips

So, what’s left to do? Oh yes, the cake must be baked.

Place a large pillow over the child’s back and then carefully lay across it. Ask your child how much pressure they can withstand

How good it smells!! – We better take the cake out of the oven before it burns and cut it into pieces

Use the edge of the hand to cut the cake into pieces as a knife

Now we spread the cake on the plate with the cake scoop

The cake scoop is imitated by one hand, with the palm facing up

…and what do we have to do now? Clean the baking tray…

This playful massage is well suited to introducing the topic of massages and relaxation to children. You can also adapt this massage to different occasions. During Christmas time you can bake cookies. If your child prefers something saltier, bake a pizza.

Let your imagination run wild.

You can also swap roles, for example having mom or dad be the cake and your child be the baker.

Stay tuned for our Fun Relaxation Games for Your Little One : Episode Two next week!