At the very beginning of this term  our Teaching Assistants and support staff received training in Story Massage,  a new peer massage skill which they are looking forward to sharing with the children. Story Massage for Children is a simple and fun activity which introduces the benefits of positive touch through storytelling. One member of staff who attended the training saw this as “an excellent way for children to bond and develop their self-esteem.” Everyone was  enthusiastic about the possibilities of using the skills learnt to help children settle back into school, with another saying it was “calming and relaxing, a way of exploring touch, but most of all, great fun!”

Story Massage involves the use of simple movements (through clothes), associated with words that help to build up a story. Tracing a large circle on a child’s back, for example, can depict the image of the world while a gentle squeezing action on the shoulders can represent eating something very delicious. Story massage can be shared as a child to child or parent to child activity. If you'd like to find out more about Story Massage click here for a link to the Story Massage website.