That children learn to control their emotions and to feel calm, focused and serene is something fundamental, and there are several techniques that exist and that can be put into practice by both parents and teachers. Some of them are especially interesting, such as the so-called “Frog Technique”, since they are not only designed to get children to relax and lower their levels of hyperactivity and excitement, but also to learn or to manage other things such as concentration, ideal to achieve good habits and results when studying.
Who developed the frog technique?
The frog technique is a method developed by the Dutch Eline Snel (specialist in mindfulness for children) and embodied in her book “Quiet and attentive like a frog”, a book inspired by the particular and personal case of her daughter who was the that made him come up with this technique. In this way, the dynamics focuses on advanced methods of relaxation and breathing, concentrating especially on the attention to achieve better control of anxiety and stress . That is why we can say that it is a technique for children’s self-control of emotions, also linked to the work of the respiratory system, whose proper functioning is vital to tackle stress or the dreaded anxiety .
How is the frog technique used in the classroom?
- To use this method in the classroom, the first thing the teacher must do is turn it into a playful activity.
- The next step would be to train the children in breathing techniques , in order to expel the feelings of anger and fear immediately.
- To teach the little ones to control their breathing, the teacher or parent takes the frog as an example. The activity begins through a process of imitation of this animal, which we can do first by jumping like it, according to what the adult who is going to direct the activity indicates.
- Once immersed in the gross motor skills of the exercise, the adult should say words like “stop”, since at this call the children will have to stop jumping for a time, during which the faster and more tired breathing can return to normal. It will be time to tell the little ones that they should breathe just like a frog does : inhaling air through the nose to inflate their belly and then exhaling through their mouth until their belly deflates.
- When the cycles of breathing, inhaling and exhaling are completed, any kind of thought can happen in the children’s mind, so the teacher or family member should indicate that the thoughts should be let go (they can be stressful thoughts), as it happens with the mechanism of exhaling where the air goes. Thus, in this way and with several repetitions, the relaxation process begins by decreasing the levels of hyperactivity, anxiety and stress . As it is very difficult for thoughts to go one hundred percent, the activity can also be guided with descriptions of landscapes through which the frog walks and lives , so that these thoughts become more pleasant.
- Thanks to this technique, it has been shown that children who practice these exercises sleep much better, and not only that, but they also feel safer, as they learn to trust themselves and their capacity for self-control.
Benefits of the frog technique in children
The benefits of this technique are many, but they are not only related to tranquility, and these are some others:
- Children improve and train attention and concentration.
- It favors relaxation and rest at night, especially when the child has been very active during the day .
- Notoriously reduces impulsive actions.
- It stimulates the learning of boys and girls until at least 12 years old.
- It is a technique that improves the level of socialization among children , and the results have shown that, practicing daily, good physical health can also be kept at bay, as well as mental.
The frog is one of the animals that can be relaxed or still for the longest time, without losing sight of everything that happens around it, and that is why the therapist Snel considered that it was one of the most suitable for the technique. In addition, the frog, which is very wise, once it has to move, it does so in one jump, which allows it to regenerate its body, then control its breathing and control anxiety and achieve tranquility. Perfect for the little ones who also love to jump!
