Popcorn
Popcorn can be salty or sweet, so it can feel either need in the child. It is also widely available and doesn’t cost much, making it easy to attain. Popcorn is also a lower calorie food, high in fibre, which means it can be a healthy option to offer your child for a snack. But how is it a tool?
When a child’s cortisol levels are high, the action of working their mouth muscles and adding food to their stomach, can help bring those cortisol levels down.
The smell of popcorn can bring back positive memories of times spent together, and good times. It’s strong smell can invite an automatic smile and good thoughts.
The crunchiness of popcorn is also a sensory experience and can re-direct them, giving them something enjoyable to do instead of focusing on the thing that was triggering them they can pay attention instead to the crunch.
If you pop the popcorn it can also become a time for attachment, helping your child to create their treat from the initial dropping of the kernels into the pan and watching them bounce to listening for the popping to begin (waiting to hear the pop is a great way to get them to calm down and to breath).
Popcorn is also fun. Plain popcorn (without sugar or salt) can actually be used in crafts and in games. You can toss a piece of popcorn into a bowl or up into the air or even have a popcorn fight, throwing it back and fourth! Popcorn is cheap and easy to clean up after a bit of play.
Sometimes it is the simplest things around the home that become your best and most used tools. Finding items that you already have is key to using them and making them work for you and your family. Today consider popcorn as a possible tool the next time you need one.