Brave With Butterflies: Helping Kids Feel Calm With Nerves

This gentle guided meditation helps children (ages 5–10) feel calmer and more comfortable when they notice nervous feelings.

Instead of trying to get rid of nerves, this track teaches children how to understand them and feel them safely. They’ll learn that nervous feelings are something their body does to help them and they are not something to be afraid of.

Before listening, invite your child to think of one thing that makes them feel a little nervous — such as speaking in class, performing, trying something new, or meeting new people. It doesn’t need to be something huge, just something they’d like to feel a bit braver about.

For best results, listen several times. Repetition helps children build familiarity and confidence, especially in the days leading up to something important.

A calm, supportive space to practise being brave.

Transcript

Settle in and get comfy,

Maybe having a last thing wriggled around before you let yourself come to stillness.

Take a moment to breathe slowly and deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth.

In through your nose and out through your mouth.

Keep that gentle breath going and allow your body to start to feel nice and relaxed.

And now allow yourself to bring to mind the thing that you feel nervous about.

It's important to know that everyone gets nervous sometimes,

Including grown-ups,

Including teachers,

And it's especially normal if you're doing something which is new or unfamiliar.

This is how our bodies handle it.

These butterfly feelings mean our body is ready for whatever comes next.

It's supposed to feel that way.

Let's go and meet that little nervous feeling now.

So again,

Bring your mind back to that thing that you feel a little bit nervous about and let that nervous feeling rise up inside you.

And now imagine yourself looking inside your body for that nervous feeling and just notice whereabouts is it?

Is that feeling still or moving?

What size is it?

What shape is it?

Does it have any colour?

How heavy is it?

Is it warm,

Hot or cold?

What else can you notice about it?

Keep curiously watching this feeling and take some slow,

Deep breaths at the same time.

And as you watch it,

You might notice that it starts to change.

And if it does,

That's perfectly normal too.

Look at what you've been doing.

You can handle feeling nervous.

That is exactly what you've just experienced.

And notice how that nervous feeling has become less as you've allowed it to be there.

You see,

Nerves are completely normal.

Everybody gets them from time to time.

The trick is to learn that you can handle feeling nervous and you just did.

Listen to this recording a few more times over the next few days to help you get used to it.

Get used to nerves even more.

The more time you spend being familiar with being nervous,

The easier you will find it to handle your nerves.

When you're ready,

You can start to bring your attention back to your body again.

Take your mind to noticing your fingers and your toes.

Maybe give them a little wriggle.

Perhaps have a gentle stretch,

Reach your arms up into the air.

And wiggle your body a little.

And when you feel ready,

Gently open your eyes.