Nursery World - Positive touch

Letting children practise massage on their classmates has been shown to promote trust, respect and relaxation. Catherine Gaunt got in touch at a session for teachers It's not perhaps the most usual way of spending a drab, winter Sunday afternoon, but it's strangely calming to watch. In a living room in a house in south London a small group of adults are learning about the benefits of massage for children from a Swedish therapist.

It's not perhaps the most usual way of spending a drab, winter Sunday afternoon, but it's strangely calming to watch. In a living room in a house in south London a small group of adults are learning about the benefits of massage for children from a Swedish therapist.

During the past few years infant massage and baby yoga have become accepted and even trendy in the UK, but the benefits of massage for school children are something we've yet to explore. It couldn't be more different in Sweden, where it's been a regular classroom fixture since the early 1990s and is now even established as part of the curriculum.

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