Staying calm in a busy infant classroom can be challenging. Infant teachers tend to their students' needs while continuously placing their own needs in the background. Here are some easy to use and relatively quick tools to fill your cup throughout the day: ▪️Practice the pause ▪️Utilize the time spent in the play space with the children as a self-care moment. Sing with the children. The vibration of your voice has a healing effect on the body. Humming works as well. Stretch your body or practice a yoga pose that is safe near children and still allows you to supervise. Breathe intentionally. Breathe in slowly, breathe out even slower. Practice grounding. Feel the ground beneath you. Place your awareness on the parts of your body touching the ground. See roots extending from your body into the ground. Breathe anything that stresses you into the ground through the roots extending from your body. Give yourself a mini massage. Practice tapping. Recite positive affirmations in your mind. ▪️Take the children on a walk or bring your class to the playground. Being outside reduces stress and fills our cup. ▪️Stay hydrated & eat a nutritious snack ▪️Advocate for your needs. Request a mental health break if you need one.

Balanced & Joyful's first infant teacher workshop is now available in Balanced & Joyful Skool Classroom. The Topic is Respectful Transitions in the Infant Classroom. The class discusses major and minor transitions and how to navigate them successfully. Emphasis is placed on awareness of the infant's emotional learning during these transitions. This workshop is available to Premium and VIP members. Check it out! Would love to see you in my classroom.

Don't know what toys to buy for your baby? Keep it simple. Babies don't need an abundance of toys, but a few high-quality toys. Very young infants need high contrast images to gaze at. These could be mobiles, or books placed at eye level. All babies love to gaze at themselves in a mirror. Place a child safe mirror next to baby. Other great toys are - Grasping toys - Teething rings - Fabric toys with different textures - Balls. Textured balls or sensory balls are great - Soft, textured blocks - Board books or fabric books - Rattles - Nesting & stacking toys Keep in mind the vibe that toys create, too. Choose soft, natural colors over bright primary colors. Yes, children usually prefer bright flashy colors, but an abundance of brightly colored toys can be over stimulating for the child and the adult alike. Offer a few toys at a time. This will allow the child ample time to explore without distraction. Too many toys in a play space are overwhelming. It is better to rotate toys occasionally instead of making all toys available. Contact me if you'd like to chat about your baby's play space set up. [email protected]

I have been busy writing content for my first self-paced online workshop on my Skool Account. The anticipated release date is this week Friday, April 24. The topic of the workshop is Respectful Transitions in the Infant Classroom. The workshop looks at the overall classroom vibe as a base for respectful transitions as well as specific situations & solutions. The workshop dives deep into the teacher's role in creating a calm classroom vibe. Once aspect discussed is how Inner Child Wounds are triggered while working with children and families. Our Inner Child & Triggers Working with Children "Our inner child is the wounded aspect of our early childhood experience. Some examples of common inner child wounds include unmet emotional needs, rejection, neglect, trauma, abandonment, betrayal, lack of love, humiliation, injustice, etc. These wounds carry into adulthood and shape our adult behaviors. We all carry our inner child within us. Working with children & families can trigger inner child wounds in teachers. Isn't it ironic that working with children can trigger our inner child wounds while we simultaneously strive to prevent creating inner child wounds for the children in our care? This class is not meant to address your inner child issues, but to create awareness. It is included in this class to help us understand ourselves as teachers, and the reasons some behaviors trigger us more than others."

Everything is energy. Humans are energy, our life experiences are energy. Words, thoughts, emotions, are energy. The human energy body consists of an energy field, personal and transpersonal chakras or energy centers, a central energy line and energy meridians. In a balanced energy body Life Force Energy flows unrestricted. In an unbalanced energy body blockages can prevent the free flow of Life Force Energy. The outer layer of the human energy body is the aura or energy field that extends a few feet from the physical body. Energies that we come into contact with moves through the aura before entering the body. A healthy aura can filter lower vibrational energies and transmute them before they enter our bodies. The aura also directs energies to the chakras based on their vibration. In an unbalanced and unprotected state all energies move into the energy body. Energetic protection places a shield around the aura blocking lower vibrational energies. Energetic protection is a continuous process. Chakras are energy centers in the body. Their job is to process the incoming energy. Each chakra vibrates at a different frequency, similar to a musical scale. Chakras either integrate or transmute the energy. Unprocessed energy can create densities or blockages in the chakras and in the body, All major chakras are connected to a central energy pathway that runs parallel to the spine. Minor chakras are distributed throughout the body, and the entire system is connected via meridians through which life force energy flows. Let’s look at what happens when the energy from life experiences enters the energy body of an unbalanced person who is vibrating on the lower vibrational scale. The energy enters and settles into the person’s energy body. Repeated stressful experiences or traumatic experiences will form densities or blockages within the energy body, preventing the free flow of life force energy. Blockages in the energy body can lead to physical, emotional, mental, and/or spiritual unwellness. This person is most likely not aware of energy dynamics.