Stop! It's time for a hug.

Take a break and have a cuddle. It's good for your mental health.

Sometimes one of the most important things we can do is stop & give our kids a big hug.

Here’s a lovely wee activity that does just that and helps to create a deep connection between your child and you.

Human connections are so important. When we hug, it releases brain chemicals called oxytocin - the 'feel good' chemical. This hormone can help children manage stress by calming down the 'stress' hormone, cortisol.

This type of warmth and affection at a young age can not only help relieve stress, but help children be more resilient, and have a better parent-child relationship.

So with the stresses of Christmas already here (with or without an Elf on the Shelf), I thought we could do with a reminder that stopping for a hug is an important part of our day!

To do that, I'm going to share one of our favourite exercises from the Wee Seeds wellbeing programme. It's packed with audio, videos and worksheets to help plant the seeds of positive mental health in the early years.

If you're already signed up, you'll know our Heart to Heart practice, led by the lovely Jocelyn (8 years old at the time of recording).

But today I'm sharing a written abridged version - because I think we all need some Heart to Heart. Here's how it goes:

💞 Tell your child you’re going to play a game together, to see how close you can bring your hearts to each other.

💞 Explain they’ll need to use two things they have — their breath and their imagination!

💞 Sit with them on your lap, facing you, their legs straddled across your legs.

💞 Try to bring your breath into rhythm with each other. Breathing in and out together.

💞 Ask them if they can come closer still, and as you breathe IMAGINE your hearts are melting into each other.

💞 Wrap your arms around each other, and get your chests as close together as possible.

💞 With each breath imagine your hearts melting further into each other, until you are in the warmest, fluffiest, connected cuddle — breathing in time with each other.

Enjoy. Let us know how it goes — what word would you use to describe how you felt afterwards? What about you child?

Love, Christina & the Wee Seeds Team x

PS - If you're interested in accessing Wee Seeds' full programme of wellbeing activities then you can find out more here. We offer parental guidance, audio and video, and workbooks to help you teach your child wellbeing skills. Bring calm to your house today, and future proof their mental health for less than the price of two lattes a month.