Obligatory disclaimer: I AM NOT A MOM?. This is important because I have such enormous respect for parents. I look at my friends and family that have children and am genuinely in awe. It looks like the most wonderful and the most challenging experience in all of human existence. 

However, as an aromatherapist, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for you, parents.  I have worked with children through their parents to create more focus, deeper calm, and better sleep.

Here are 3 really cool ways we’ve been able to help children get their work done:

1. Allow them to play and work – some children may have focus issues that make it extremely difficult to just sit and work on one thing at a time. This makes them very anxious. So letting them throw a ball or color while they answer homework questions gets much better results.

2. Diffuse essential oils in their workspace for about an hour. Allow them to be in the room with the oils for about 15 to 20 minutes before asking them to work on anything. This allows the chemistry of the oils to deeply affect them, putting them in a better space for learning and focus. While some children work better with a sedating essential oil, others work better with stimulating oil. Don’t assume that if your child is very active they automatically need the sedating oil; it could very well be the opposite. You’ll have to experiment with these and see which ones work for them. Start with any of these oils and see what they like best: Rosemary, Grapefruit, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Laurel Leaf (Laurus nobilis), Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Peppermint, citrus blends like Citrus Fresh or calming blends like Peace & Calming.

3. Aroma tapping is also incredibly effective with children, especially when combined with aromatherapy and breathwork. Just as we need emotional cleansing, so do children. These little people have a lot going on in their minds. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re dealing with a tragedy. It’s usually typical stress that just comes with living in these times. Remember that both good stress and bad stress need a way to process so as not to disrupt the energy of the body and mind. When that happens, including with our little ones, being productive is near impossible. So let them tap away their stress and get much better results with that homework.