TRANSCRIPT 🔗
Be Solid In 10: Body Clues: Welcome to Be Solid in 10. I'm Bridget Barris, founder of Be Solid Learning, and in the next 10 minutes, we're focusing on one practical idea to help you raise capable kids, grow as a parent, and build a stronger family. One idea, one practical step, 10 minutes. Let's get into it. Welcome to Be Solid in 10. I'm Bridget Barris, founder of Be Solid Learning, and in the next 10 minutes or less I'm giving you one challenge, one insight, and one skill you can use at home today with your kiddos. So here's the challenge. And it's a moment a lot of us know. Your eight-year-old is building blocks and it falls over for the third time. And before you can even get across the room to help, the whole tower goes flying and there are tears and yelling. And it feels like it came out of nowhere. One second our kiddo was fine, the next second, boom, explosion. But honestly, it almost never really comes out of nowhere. The feeling was building the whole time. Your child just didn't notice it until it was too big to handle. So here's a little insight. Feelings show up in the body before kids have words for them, and often before they even realize they're upset. And this happens for adults too. Now frustration might start as tight hands. Or a clenched jaw, while worry could be a stomachache or a heavy feeling in the chest. Embarrassment is often that hot face, while anger might feel like our whole body is speeding up. Now, when kids learn to notice these body clues, they get the advantage of an early warning system. They can catch a feeling while it's still small, when it's much easier to do something about it, and then take action. And that leads us to the second question of the three question check-in we're practicing this month in our academies. Where do I feel it? Now here's the skill. The body clue check. And it has three simple steps you can teach your kiddo. First, stop and scan. Teach your child to pause and check in with their body, head to toe. Is anything tight, hot, shaky? Does my chest feel heavy? Is it my heart beating fast? Second, point to it. Have them actually point to where they feel it. And for younger kiddos especially this is important because pointing is easier than explaining. So you might say, can you show me where the mad is? Now third, give that clue a name. Connect the body clue to a feeling word. My hands are tight and my face is hot. Think I might be frustrated. That's it. Stop and scan, point to it, give it a name. Now let's go back to the block tower we were building earlier. The next time you see your child's shoulders maybe start to creep up, or you hear their voice getting tighter, you might say, Hey buddy, let's do a body clue check. Where are you feeling it? Maybe they point to their tight hands. Okay, what do you think that feeling is? And your child might say, frustrated. yeah, that tower keeps falling. That is really frustrating. Now they've caught it. You've named it together and you can move to the last question of the check-in, which is what do you need from me? Maybe they need a break or some help or one more try with a wider base. Now the best time to practice though is when nothing is wrong. So make it a game. Maybe at bedtime you ask, where do you feel happy in your body? Where do you feel tired? And then try harder ones on calm days. where do you think you feel worried? Or maybe try recall when you were worried and Where did you feel it in your body? Kids learn their own body map when the stakes are low, so they can use it when the stakes are high and when it matters. Now this looks a little different at different ages. Little ones do best with pointing and very simple words like tight, hot, and wiggly, and of course lots of practice with mom and dad. While school aged kids can start noticing patterns like my stomach always hurts on Sunday nights before school on Monday. And teens Well they can use it quietly and on their own, which is exactly the goal. A 16-year-old who can notice my chest gets tight before every test is learning something they'll use for the rest of their life. Now, parents, this works for us too. So next time you feel your own jaw tightening during homework time, that's your body clue. Notice it, name it, and take a breath before you respond, and maybe tell your kids what you're doing. So here's your challenge for the week. Try one body clue check with your child on a calm day. Stop and scan. Point to it and give it a name. Now, one quick note before I go: this month inside BSolid Learning, families are practicing noticing and naming together. And this is the last week for our fall enrollment bonus. Families who join by this Sunday, November 15th, get the five-day family reset for free. And you can find everything you need at bsolidlearning.com. Stay grounded, keep growing, and be solid. Thanks for spending these 10 minutes with me. Take one thing from today and put it into practice. But remember, practice means progress. And if it doesn't go perfectly, give yourself some grace and try again. Small steps add up. I'll see you next time on Solid Inten.