Rainbow Flow

03/09/2025

September is here! Here's a little extra extract from our most recent blog post for helping to make nurseries and schools a welcoming environment as we come into a new academic year🐝

Creating a Gentle Welcome
When our youngest children arrive in the morning, their feelings can be as big as their backpacks. Simple movements like stretching tall as a tree or taking rainbow breaths together give them a sense of calm right from the start. These tiny rituals help children understand: this is a safe place.

Helping with Transitions
Early years days are full of transitions: arriving, tidy-up time, moving from play to story circle. That’s a lot for little ones to process! Adding a short “reset” moment which can be maybe a wiggle and shake, a calming breath or even a favourite animal pose, helps to make those shifts smoother and more joyful.

Building Connection
Yoga in early years isn’t about perfect poses; it’s about connection. When children crawl like bears, buzz like bees, or stretch like sunshine together, they laugh, notice each other, and begin to feel part of a community. That sense of belonging is the foundation of everything else we teach.

30/08/2025

This month we’re roaring into calm with Lion’s Breath, a fun and powerful way for children to release big feelings and find their brave voices!

How to do it:
1️⃣ Sit tall like a lion on your knees or cross-legged.
2️⃣ Take a deep breath in through your nose.
3️⃣ Open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue, and let out a big “HAAA” sound – like a roaring lion! 🦁✨
4️⃣ Repeat 2–3 times, then return to calm breathing.

Why we love it:
💛 Helps release tension and frustration.
🌈 Encourages confidence and self-expression.
🌟 Brings fun and laughter into breathwork.

It’s the perfect tool for little ones who need to shake off nerves, big emotions, or just enjoy being playful. And it always leaves the whole room smiling!

29/08/2025

✨ We now are very sparing with our stickers… and here is why! ✨

At Rainbow Flow, we’ve swapped our sticker rewards for something we call a Rainbow WOW 🌈. Instead of handing out stickers, we hold up our rainbow and celebrate the children or one in particular individual that may have really shone during our class.

Why the change?
💚 Eco-friendly – Stickers end up in bins, on bags, on the floor… and they’re not great for the planet.
💜 Less mess – No more peeling stickers off jumpers, tables, or water bottles!
💛 Real celebration – A Rainbow WOW shines a light on positive behaviour, kindness, and effort without needing a “thing” to prove it. Children begin to feel proud inside rather than relying on a sticker stuck outside.

We’ve found that little ones love it when the rainbow is held high just for them, it’s bright, fun, and just as exciting as any shiny sticker. And best of all, it keeps the focus on joy, community, and celebrating the moment together.

28/08/2025

Back-to-school time can bring excitement and big feelings. These little practices help children (and us grown-ups too!) to reset, ground, and feel safe.

🌈 Rainbow Breaths
🌳 Grounding Pose
🪑 Calm Corner
💛 Gratitude Pause
🙌 Stretch & Shake
Which one will you try today?

25/08/2025

✨ Imagination + Props = Healing Power ✨
In play therapy, props are chosen with purpose, but the magic unfolds when children are free to imagine anything can be anything. A block can become a phone. A scarf can transform into a superhero cape. A puppet can find the words a child cannot yet speak.

This freedom is more than make believe. Research in neuroscience shows that imaginative play activates the parts of the brain responsible for problem solving, emotional regulation, and social understanding. When a child reimagines an object, they are also reimagining possibilities for themselves and their world.

As therapists, we provide structure and therapeutic intention while allowing space for the child’s creativity to lead. Within this balance, children find resilience, growth, and healing.

💡 In play therapy, imagination is not escape, it is transformation.

24/08/2025

What a brilliant idea 💡

“Here’s my best parenting hack. You know how kids always want Paw Patrol yogurt or Disney waffles or whatever? Bring your own stickers to the grocery store and start sticking. Today we’re having Winnie the Pooh brand spaghetti squash. It goes perfectly with Toy Story broccoli.”

www.JaneStine.net

23/08/2025

In play therapy, props aren’t just “toys”, they’re tools for connection, communication, and healing.

Sensory props like sand, water, textured fabrics, or even everyday objects help children:
🌱 Explore feelings in a safe, hands-on way
🎭 Express what words can’t yet capture
🧘‍♀️ Regulate emotions through soothing sensory input
🤝 Build trust and confidence in the therapeutic space

When a child chooses and engages with a prop, they’re not just “playing”, they’re telling their story. And in that story, every texture, sound, and movement matters. In sensory play, props become the bridge between inner worlds and outer expression.

22/08/2025

Fun fact Friday!

21/08/2025

Rainbow Relaxation

Close your eyes 🌈 Imagine a rainbow wrapping around you in calm and kindness.

20/08/2025

Here are 5 simple tips to understand how play supports growth and development from our play therapy expert Vicky! 🧸