How do you prepare yourself?

Something we tend to pour time and energy into is preparing our environments. And rightly so. We know that the environment that welcomes the children each day matters. What we serve up is what they soak up, so we make intentional decisions about what we include, and what we leave out. 

What is even more important but less often considered is the non-physical environment that welcomes the children each day. And how much THAT matters. And while we're talking about something less tangible than furniture, the largest aspect of this is something we absolutely can pour time and energy into the preparation of: ourselves. 

When we 'welcome' our children each day, it is so much more than saying hello and asking how they are. More than words, our energy welcomes them. Our vibe. This is what our children are 'downloading'. We have to be more conscious of, and intentional about what we're 'serving up' for them to soak up.

Sure, mornings aren't everyone's favourite time, and some feel that they have little control over what needs to happen ahead of walking in the walk door. There are things we perhaps can’t leave out of our morning - multiple people to get ready, slow drivers or a run of red lights on our commute, full hands and heads right from the crack of dawn - but, even with these, we do have a level of choice about what we INCLUDE before we step into our role with the children. 

A pause can make the difference between feeling present or flustered. A cuppa in a nice cup for just five minutes can relax us enough to come in with a calmer energy. A song we love (a gentle or a ‘hype’ song, whatever we need in the moment) can make us feel ready for the day. Nature - whether it be driving a slightly longer route for some beautiful scenery, or walking the last part of the journey to connect feet to earth - can work wonders for helping us feel ‘right’. There’s no one size fits all either, where some of us need a deep and insightful reading to centre us, another one of us might want a humorous podcast to tickle our funny bone - no right or wrong, just an individual prescription we need to tune into and trial for ourselves. 

These little things have a not-so-little impact on how we show up. How our children will experience us in their first moments through the door, and also how our team experiences us, which is so important as the ripples of our energy flow to the team….for better or worse. (Let’s make it for the better). 

Preparing ourselves in these ways is good to do on the mornings we feel we need a dose of soul food to get going. On a ‘wake up on the wrong side of the bed’ day, they’ll feel like just what the Heart Doctor ordered. But, better yet is if we are intentional about building in rituals like this EVERY day - that we use these little moments of calm, or of joy, to ‘click ourselves in’ to being our best selves for the children. This proactive approach is saying that we know that how we are for our children matters hugely, and that we are as committed to caring about this than about how our shelves are set up. That for all we want beautiful resources, we know that our children’s safety lies in beautiful relationships with people who are ready to be with them, right from ‘word go’ - which in fact, is before we even open our mouths to say, “good morning!

Our upcoming webinar will be all about transition, a treasure trove full of ideas and tips to create a magical space for our children. More info -> Transitions Tips & Tools <-