Relaxation Ideas for Groups, #1

Last week, the prepared relaxation exercise I tried to use completely backfired on me... I used a new piece of equipment and students were too excited about it to calm down and actually ended up getting quite escalated! After two groups like that, I abandoned the idea (moving it to the gross motor slot at the *beginning* of group instead, much better suited for that!) and threw together something in the moment. I loved it and it was so effective and calming. It is going in the vault as a perennial relaxation favorite!

I distributed ocean drums and rainsticks. I sang the chorus of "Listen to the Water," at a slow and gentle tempo, accompanied by simple fingerpicking on my guitar, while students explored their instruments. After 2-3 choruses, with restful instrumental breaks in between, we passed instruments to the next person in the circle and explored a new instrument. This was so well-received. Everyone was focused and quiet. Any tension, both for them, and me, melted away. There were occasional students who wanted to explore their instruments too loudly or roughly, and for them, I substituted a visually and texturally interesting, but very quiet, woven grass shaker instead. This was quick, simple, and effective, my very favorite type of intervention!

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