Connection

*Please note- this blog post was written during my time at Brain Fit Academy Inc. I have since continued this amazing work under my own company- Brain FUNdamentals LLC. I hope you enjoy!

There's a one-on-one connection with my clients that I think is very special. As I've mentioned before, I've worked with children most of my life in some capacity or another but this type of connection is different.

As a public school teacher, I would make connections with my students- as all teachers do.  But when you have 18-20 students (or more- which I know is very common) you just can't make the same connection with a child as when you see them on a one-to-one basis. And, when I became a specialist teacher- teaching technology to 4th and 5th graders, I would see 250+ students a week, so getting to know any one child at a deeper level was hard- to say the least!

When I first started as a coach at Brain Fit, this connection is one of the things I really enjoyed.  Getting to know the child better and really developing a relationship with them.

You see, when I'm doing this work, I'm also bonding with the child. 

We bond when we play together.  

We bond when we are on the floor together doing movements that the child has picked.  

We bond when we are creating goals.  

We bond when we are sharing things about ourselves and chatting.

I often find myself making connections with kids related to things I used to do as a child.  I tell them about how I used to play in a creek near my house.  I tell them about things I used to be afraid of when we are talking about their fears.  I tell them about my favorite childhood toys and about the arguments I had with my older brother.

The other thing is, not only do we make a connection with the child, but with the parent(s) as well.  We're going into their home to work with their child- helping them during a vulnerable time in their life and supporting them as well!

It's a bond and a connection that can't be replicated in other work.  At least, it hasn't been for me.

And so- I continue to create the connections. I get down on the ground and crawl, and pretend to be a dog with a child.  I play with my clients using various simple toys and work in Primitive Reflex integration movements.  I talk with older kids and share my own experiences- to help them to understand their feelings and boost their self-esteem using goals and intentional movements. I teach my clients Brain Gym® and Rhythmic Movements and we learn and grow together.

Sharing, and playing, and laughing and moving.  It's all connection- and it's a huge part of the work we do at Brain Fit Academy.

Enjoying the connection, the bond- is what makes me miss my clients when I don't see them for a little while and it's a huge part of what I look forward to when I have sessions scheduled for a particular day.

These same connections are what bring the smiles to my face, and the tears of joy to my eyes. 

This type of connection with children is something that I was really missing.

And now, I've found it.