Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Have you ever seen spaghetti before it’s cooked? It’s hard and easy to break.

What about after it’s cooked? It’s soft and wiggly.

I want to see if you can make your toes hard like uncooked spaghetti. Tell your toes to become stiff and hard like uncooked spaghetti. Curl your toes tightly.

Now, tell your legs to go stiff and hard like uncooked spaghetti. Straighten your legs in front of your body.

How do you feel? Do you feel very tense or nervous?

Tell your bottom to become hard like uncooked spaghetti. Tighten your muscles in your behind or bum.

Raise your shoulders and make them hard like uncooked spaghetti.

Now tell your fingers to become hard and stiff like uncooked spaghetti. Curl your fingers into a fist.

How do you feel?

This is what your body does when you are very angry or upset.

Now let’s relax together. Tell your toes to go soft and sleepy like warm spaghetti. Tell your toes to wiggle. Are they listening?

Good. Tell them to stop wiggling and to go warm and soft like cooked spaghetti.

Wiggle one leg. Tell that leg to go soft and sleepy like warm spaghetti. Now wiggle your other leg. Stop, and tell it to go soft and sleepy like cooked spaghetti.

Wiggle your behind. Now, tell it to go soft and sleepy.

Tell your shoulders to go soft like warm spaghetti. Roll your shoulders. Let your shoulders drop.

Wiggle your fingers. Now, tell your fingers to relax. Let your fingers go soft and still, like warm spaghetti in your plate.

Let your whole body become soft, still, and relaxed, just like warm spaghetti.

Breathe in.

*Inhale*

Breathe out

*Exhale*

Breathe in.

*Inhale *

Breathe out

*Exhale*

Breathe in slowly

*Inhale*

Breathe out slowly

*Exhale*

Tell your belly and your body to be very quiet. Gently put one hand on top of your belly button. Let your hand rest on your belly. Does your hand feel warm?

*Pause*

Good.

Breathe in.

*Inhale*

Breathe out.

*Exhale*

Breathe in.

*Inhale*

Breathe out.

*Exhale*

Did your hand move in and out each time you took a breath?

*Pause*

Keep going.

Breathe in, let your belly push your hand out slowly.

Breathe out, let your hand sink in

Breathe in, let your belly push your hand out slowly.

Breathe out, let your hand sink in

Breathe in, feel your belly slowly fill right up to your belly button, feel your belly slowly pull your hand way out. Breathe out, let your belly sink way in.  Breathe in, feel your belly gently push your hand way out. Breathe out, feel your belly sink way in.

Breathe in, belly way out. Breathe out, belly way in

Breathe in, belly way out. Breathe out, belly way in

Breathe in, belly way out. Breathe out, belly way in

Good. You feel very calm, you feel good. Your body feels calm.

The more you talk to your body, the more it listens. You are the boss of your body and your belly!

Keep breathing, *inhale* *exhale* as I tell you how Jelly Belly can help you.

Jelly Belly can help you whenever you want to relax or be calm or go to sleep.  Whenever you are worried or scared or something hurts, do Jelly Belly.  If you do Jelly Belly often, you will get better and better at calming yourself down.  

Today we are going to visit a special place. This special place is a happy place, a quiet place, a beautiful place. This place is somewhere you always feel happy and calm and safe. We are going to visit this place in our minds.

Think about a place where you feel very safe and calm and happy. Where are you?

*Pause*

This is your special place. It can be your bedroom, outside, your favourite tree, the beach or somewhere else.

Pretend you are in your special place right now. What do you see?

*Pause*

What do you hear?

*Pause*

What do you feel?

*Pause*

You feel good. You feel strong. You feel calm.

When you come back from visiting your special place, you will feel strong and in control. You are not scared. No matter what happens, you will be okay. You are good. You do lots of things well and you will be okay.

Open your eyes.

Now that you are back from your special place, remember how it made you feel. You feel happy and hopeful and calm. You decide how you want to feel!

Visit your special place whenever you feel scared or worried or sad. Remember how you feel when you visit your special place. 

There once was a pirate named Pete. Pete was a very famous pirate. Not many people had ever meet Pete, but everyone had heard of Pete and his riches. All of the other pirates talked about Pete and his many chests of treasures and boat of gold.

One day, a young girl named Lucinda decided she wanted to meet Pete the Pirate. So she packed some food and set out on her boat to find Pete. She sailed and sailed, dreaming about all the gold coins and rubies she would find. She sailed past small boats and big boats and even bigger boats, but she saw no gold boats.

She was almost out of food when she came across a small brown row boat. She asked the man,

LUCINDA: Have you seen Pete the Pirate?

PETE: Yes, I’ve seen him!

LUCINDA: I’ve heard he’s very rich!

PETE: Oh he is! He has many treasures.

Lucinda squealed with excitement

*Squeal*

LUCINDA: Where can I find him?

PETE: Glad to meet you, my name’s Pete.

Lucinda didn’t understand. He lived on a small row boat and wore rags for clothes.

PETE: I’ve become rich by looking for treasures each day. To find treasure, you have to look for all the good things you do or see or hear or feel each day. Why just this morning I found many treasures!

LUCINDA: How?

PETE: Open your eyes and take notice of all the good things in life, the things that make you feel happy. Take a moment to think about these things, and they will become your treasures, which you can keep forever!

LUCINDA: What about the gold? And silver? And Rubies?

PETE: Real treasures are good memories. Like when I woke up this morning and the sun was shining, that was my first treasure of the day! I caught a fish for lunch and that was my second.

Lucinda stared in amazement.

PETE: Would you like to know the best treasure I found all day?

LUCINDA: Yes!

PETE: I met you.

The end.

Remember to look for highlights or good things in life each day. Take a moment to appreciate or smile about these moments and they will become treasures! If you are feeling sad or bored, look for highlights! If you take the time to go ‘treasure hunting’ you will feel much happier.

I once lived in a jungle village in a country called Papua, New Guinea. The people lived in huts made from trees. The roofs of the huts were made from palm leaves and they had no TVs or cellphones or even bathtubs in their houses. The weather was always warm and there were lots of fruit trees. The people were very happy and laughed a lot. The children played lots of games together.

Whenever the children finished playing games, all the children got together in a circle. One child would gently touch each child in the circle, on the arm, and say “Umbalakiki”. Umbalakiki means “I take it from you”. She or he would then put her hand against a nearby tree. The reason they did this was to take away any unhappy or uncomfortable feelings that came up during the game. This was a good way to take away any bad feelings, just in case any children were feeling bad. They called this “treeing it”.

The village chief told me that the people have been doing this for a very long time! He told me that dealing with their uncomfortable feelings helps his people to live happily with each other and to be happy with themselves.

You can use Umbalakiki to feel better too! If you are worried, upset, or angry about something in a sport, at home, in school, or in a program, walk over to a tree or wall and tree it. As you touch the wall or tree, pretend you are putting all of your uncomfortable feelings into that tree or wall for right now, then smile and walk away. You have put your uncomfortable feelings away for now so that you can do other things. You have treed your uncomfortable feelings because right now they are not helping you. If you need to later, you can go back to the tree or wall and take these feelings back and think about them some more.

Let’s try. Think of a worry or unhappy feeling that you have, or that you once had. Can you think of one?

*Pause*

In your mind, pretend that you are taking that worry or uncomfortable feeling and putting in on the tree. Imagine that you are touching your hand on the tree and say to yourself “ Umbalakiki, one two three, now my feeling is in the tree”. Now you can let go of your uncomfortable feeling. When the wind blows, the leaves will shake and your uncomfortable feelings will float away.

Sometimes, a feeling can be too big for the tree. If your feeling is too big, talk to an adult you trust instead, like a parent or teacher or neighbour.

Sometimes we feel very happy, excited and good. Other times we feel very nervous, angry or sad and we don’t feel well. It’s okay to feel all of these ways. Just like there are different movies and TV shows - some that are funny and make us laugh, others that are sad and make us cry, and others that are very fast and make us feel excited, we have many different feelings.

These different feelings are like different TV shows or channels. These channels though, are inside of your head. Just like a TV or computer or tablet, you can change the channel! To change the channel in your head, press your hands down on your belly button – and think about something else.

If you are on a worry channel and don’t want to worry, think about a place or person or thing that makes you feel calm.

Take a deep breath in and out.

Let’s practice changing channels!

Pretend you are feeling grumpy. You are on a mad channel. Press your hands against your belly button and think of something special you did this week.

How did that make you feel?

*PAUSE*

Pretend that you are doing that activity. You feel calm.

Good!

What channel do you want to be on today?

*PAUSE*

Press your hands against your belly button. Change to the channel that you want to be on today. Try to stay on this channel.

Open your eyes and remember that you if you need to, you can change your channel by pressing on your belly button and thinking about something else. 

Close your eyes and listen as I talk to you about changing channels.

Earlier you learned about changing channels by pressing your hands against your belly button and thinking of something that makes you feel good and happy and calm. I am going to talk to you about another way to change your channel.

It’s okay to feel sad or mad or nervous, but when we feel this way, it’s important to show or tell others, in a way that’s helpful.

Let me tell you about Mohammed.

Mohammed was playing soccer with his friends at recess. Josh wasn’t playing fair and pushed Mohammed when he had the ball. Mohammed curled his hands into fists and felt very hot. Then, he ran over to Josh and pushed him back. Josh fell down and scraped his knee. The teacher told both of them they had to stay inside for the next recess.

What could Mohammed have done differently?

*Pause*

The stoplight! The stoplight is something that can help you show or tell others how you are feeling, without hurting anyone or making anyone feel badly.

When something happens that makes you feel very angry or sad or frustrated, try changing the channel by pressing your hands against your belly button and thinking of something that makes you feel calm or happy. If that doesn’t work, use the stoplight! A stoplight has three colours – red, yellow and green.

Red means STOP! Ask yourself, what am I feeling?

Why do you feel this way? What happened?

Next is yellow. Yellow means slow down and THINK.

Take a deep breath and think, what’s the best way to deal with this feeling?

Next is green. Green means GO.

Go do it!

Let’s think about Mohammed again, and how his story would have gone differently if he used the stoplight to change his channel.

Mohammed was playing soccer with his friends at recess. Josh wasn’t playing fair and pushed Mohammed when he had the ball. Mohammed curled his hands into fists and felt very hot.

But this time, he thought of the stoplight! He quietly said “STOP” to himself. Then he said, I am mad because Josh pushed me and that isn’t playing fair. THINK – Mohammed thought, what can I do? I can tell him the rules of the game. GO – Mohammed ran over to Josh and said, “No pushing allowed”. He felt much better and the boys continued to play soccer. Josh didn’t push Mohammed again all game.

Let’s try using the stoplight to change channels!

Think of something that makes you feel very angry or frustrated or sad.

STOP. How do you feel? I feel….

*PAUSE*

Why do you feel this way?

Because…..

*PAUSE*

THINK, what can you do so that you feel better?

I can….

Go!

Pretend you are trying out your solution.

How do you feel?

*PAUSE*

You feel good and calm.

Next time something makes you feel very sad or angry or frustrated and want to change channels, remember the stoplight, STOP-THINK-GO! 

Find a comfortable position, close your eyes and listen.

Animals can teach us a lot about ourselves. Some animals are very small, some are very big, some are black and white, others are red, blue and yellow, but no matter what shape, size or colour, each animal shares something in common with us.

Bears are strong and so are we.

Repeat after me,
I am strong like a bear. 
*Pause (kids repeat)*
*Animal sound*

Lions are brave and so are we.

Repeat after me,

I am brave like a lion.

*Pause (kids repeat)*
*Animal sound*

Owls are wise and so are we.

Repeat after me,

I am wise like an owl.

*Pause (kids repeat)*
*Animal sound*

Monkeys are silly and so are we.

Repeat after me,

I am silly like a monkey.

*Pause (kids repeat)*
*Animal sound*

Great job! Always remember that you can be strong, brave, wise and silly just like the animals.  

Think about your favourite animals and what you have in common with them! Make your own sentences and say these to yourself when you are feeling upset or sad and want to feel better.

Find a comfortable position and listen to my voice. We are going to play a listening game.  What sounds do you hear? How many different animals did you hear? Listen closely.

Ready? Let's Begin.

*Audio of different animal sounds*

1. Frog croaking.
2. Cat meowing.
3. Dog barking.
4. Rooster crowing.
5. Cow mooing.
6. Snake slithering.
7. Bird chirping.
8. Lion roaring.
9. Horse braying.
10. Pig oinking.

How many animals did you hear?

*Pause*

Did you guess 10?

What animals did you hear?

*Pause*

There was a frog, a cat, a dog, a rooster, a cow, a snake, a bird, a lion, a horse, and a pig!

Did you guess them all?

*Pause*

Now, on the count of one two three, make your favourite animal sound. Ready? One two three

*Pause*

You can make your family and friends very happy just by listening. Think about how good it makes you feel when others really listen to you.

Mindfulness, or paying close attention on the present moment can help us to feel calm. There are many different ways to be mindful, like listening when someone is speaking or focusing on an activity.

Listen carefully as I clap the following patterns. Then, repeat the pattern.

Ready?

Let’s begin.

*Clap X 3 *

Now, repeat the pattern

*Pause*

Did you remember the pattern?

*Short pause*

Let’s try another!

*Clap X 2 –Pause- Clap X2*

Now, repeat the pattern.

*Pause*

Another!

*Clap X 3 -Pause- Clap X 3 –Pause- Clap X 3*

*Pause*

Are you ready for one last pattern?

*Short Pause*

*Clap X 1 – Pause- Clap X2 – Pause- Clap X 1 – Pause – Clap X2 *

Go ahead.

*Pause*

*Clap X 3 - Pause – Clap X 1 - Pause -Clap X 3- Pause – Clap X 1 *

Now repeat the pattern.

*Pause*

* Clap X 4 – Pause- Clap X 1 – Pause- Clap X 1 – Pause – Clap X 4*

*Pause*

Finally, our last pattern!

* Clap X 5 –pause – Clap X 3 pause- Clap X 1 pause – Clap X 5 pause- Clap X 3- Pause- Clap X 1*

*Pause*

Today we are going to do some animal yoga.

Breathe in and out slowly as you go through the poses.

Ready?

Let’s begin.

Butterfly

• Sit on your bottom, with your legs straight out in front of you. Place the palms of your hands together.
• Bend one leg so that the bottom of your foot rests against your other leg.
• Bring the other leg in, so that your feet are touching. Sit up tall and straight.
• Gently lift and lower your knees like a butterfly flapping its wings. Breathe in and out slowly.

Dog

• Place your knees and hands on the ground.
• Spread your fingers out and curl your toes.
• Lift your legs off the floor as you breathe in and out slowly. Push your bottom up.
• Breathe in and out slowly. Release.

Lion

• Bend your knees and kneel on your behind, with your hands on the floor in front of you.
• Lift your hands from the ground and sit up on your knees. Hold your arms out in front of you like a mighty lion.

Repeat.

Mouse

• Kneel, keeping your body upright.
• Now, sit down on your heels and relax. Let your shoulders roll down or slump.
• Lower your body until your head touches the floor. Hug your knees and each time you breathe, bring your chest closer and closer to your knees. Make yourself small like a mouse!

Cat

• Place yourself on all fours. Keep your back flat and your stomach tight. Breathe in.
• Arch your back by tucking your stomach in and bringing your chin to your chest. Breathe out.

Repeat.

Giraffe

• Begin on all fours with your hands and knees touching the ground, fingers apart and head up.
• Reach one hand up to the sky, keeping your fingers spread.
• Return that hand to the floor.
• Raise your other hand to the sky, keeping your fingers spread.
• Return that hand to the floor.

Repeat.

Advanced Poses:

Blue Whale

• Lie down on your back and take some deep breaths.
• Now bend your knees, keeping your feet on the floor.
• Breathe in and lift your back off the ground. Breathe out slowly, like a whale breathing through its blow hole.
• Lift your right leg and straighten it. Point your toes.
• Bend your right leg and place your right foot on the ground. Raise your other leg, and straighten it.
• Lower your leg and place your foot on the ground.
• Finish the pose by hugging your knees to your chest.

Snake

• Lay on your belly. Take a deep breath.
• Breathe out and lift your head and neck up. Place your hands firmly on the ground.
• Arch your back and look forward or slightly up.
• Take a deep breath in and out. Release.

Camel

• Kneel down, with your bottom resting on your feet. Place your hands on your knees.
• Sit up on your knees, and place your hands on your hips.
• Slowly raise one arm up and arch your back.
• Circle both arms back and touch your toes.
• Look up to the sky and keep your back arched.
• Now release, and curl into a ball. Hug your knees and keep your head down. Breathe slowly.

Sometimes it rains

And you get down

You don’t feel nice and that’s alright

Cause it can turn around

You can control (You can control)

The way things seem

Changing the channels of your mind like a

Human TV

You can decide how you feel

Cause your emotions are real

It’s time you look deep inside,

Sometimes you feel down in life

Soon we’ll be doing it right

Woah oh oh

you could be sunshine

Woah oh oh

Sittin’ on top of the

wor-oo-orld

You’ve got the power to deal

With these emotions you feel

And if you’re feeling down, stop!

The light is red

You’re feeling mad a little sad

Figure out what’s up in your head

Yellow light now

So slow it down (Slow it down)

Think about what you can do to make it

Better now

And once you figure it out

No need to scream or shout

You’ve gotta cool off that steam

Since you don’t wanna be mean,

Soon as the light turns green..

GO

Woah oh oh

you could be sunshine

Woah oh oh

sittin on top of the

wor-oo-orld

You’ve got the power to deal

With these emotions you feel

Woah oh oh

you could be sunshine

Woah oh oh

sittin on top of the

wor-oo-orld

You’ve got the power to deal

With these emotions you feel

I see that you’re down

I see you’re feeling it

But you’ve got the power of

Emotions you can deal with it

I see that you’re down

I see you’re feeling it

But you’ve got the power of

Emotions you can deal with it

You can deal with it

Woah oh oh

you could be sunshine

Woah oh oh

sittin on top of the

wor-oo-orld

You’ve got the power to deal

With these emotions you feel

Woah oh oh

you could be sunshine

Woah oh oh

sittin on top of the

wor-oo-orld

You’ve got the power to deal

With these emotions you feel

If you’re feeling down

Sad as can be

Let me take away the bad feelings

And throw them in the tree

Umbalakiki

*Clap *Clap

Umbalakiki

*Clap *Clap

Let me take away the bad feelings

And throw them in the tree

It's ok to be angry

it can happen any day,

but let's focus and be happy,

We're treeing it hooray!"

Umbalakiki

*Clap *Clap

Umbalakiki

*Clap *Clap

For today let’s all be happy

We’re treeing it hooray