Progressive Muscle Relaxation Script for Kids: The Restful Rag Doll

When we help our children experience relaxation on a regular basis, they develop the healthy habit of relaxing the mind and body for stress reduction as they grow. This progressive muscle relaxation script for kids uses the imagery of a rag doll to help them completely let go and relax.

Turning relaxation into an imaginative game, through guided meditation for relaxation, teaches kids to be creative and to relieve tension with relaxation and imagination.

This progressive muscle relaxation script for kids is a fabulous exercise for all ages and can even be used with children as young as two. Simply read the following guided meditation script slowly and watch as your little one relaxes before bed or nap time.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation Script for Kids

Gently close your eyes and think about a rag doll you own or may have seen. Do you know what a rag doll is? It’s soft, floppy, and doesn’t hold any tension or stiffness. Its body is completely loose and relaxed.

Imagine what your body would feel like if it did the same. I wonder what that would be like.

Let’s see if we can help your body feel as relaxed as that rag doll.

Start with your hands and arms.

Squeeze your hands into tight fists, as tightly as you can. Hold them there for a moment… and now let them go completely soft. Let your fingers spread out and relax, like the floppy hands of a rag doll. Feel how loose and light your hands and arms become.

Move up to your shoulders.

Pull your shoulders up toward your ears, as if you’re a turtle hiding in its shell. Hold them there… and now let them drop down. Let them be heavy and loose, just like the rag doll’s shoulders.

Relax your face and forehead.

Can you scrunch your face up, squeezing your eyes tight, wrinkling your nose, and pressing your lips together? Hold that scrunched face for a moment… and now let it all go. Maybe even fill up your cheeks with air and then let it out. Now let your forehead feel smooth, your cheeks soft, and your jaw loose.

Next is your neck.

Imagine your head is heavy now, and your neck is soft and free, like the rag doll’s floppy neck. Let it gently rest, as if there’s nothing to hold up anymore.

Relax your chest and tummy.

Take a big, deep breath into your tummy, filling it up like a balloon. Hold that breath for a second… and now slowly let it out. Feel your tummy soften and your chest become calm and completely at ease.

Let your legs relax now.

Tense up your legs, stretching your toes and squeezing your knees together. Hold that tightness for a moment… and now let it go. Feel your legs become loose like Jell-O, soft and wiggly.

Now your feet.

Curl your toes tightly, like you’re gripping the floor with your feet. Hold that for a moment… and now let them go. Feel your toes and the bottoms of your feet relax, just like the rag doll’s feet when they’re completely still.

Feel your whole body now.

Notice how all of you feels soft, floppy, and free—just like the rag doll you imagined. If someone were to gently pick up your hand right now, it would just drop back down, completely relaxed and at ease.

Take a moment to notice how peaceful this feels. Every part of you has let go of tension, and you can feel calm and light.

You know, relaxing our bodies gives them some much needed rest. When we relax our bodies, we can also allow our minds to release and unwind as well.

We can do this by simply allowing any thoughts to become like clouds… and slowly drift on by. It’s interesting to watch our thoughts as clouds drifting by like this in our minds. You might notice feeling very good. Notice how good it feels to relax and how peaceful it feels.

Take in a nice deep breath. Breathe in all the wonderful peacefulness around you. There’s no tension here, only calm and stillness.

Doesn’t that feel good? Just notice how your body responds.

Any time you feel stress or worry, or even when you just need to take a break, you can simply start to relax your whole body. Then you can breathe in this same peace and filling up your whole body with peace and relaxation. You’ll really feel that peace within you – within your mind and within your body.

That’s how powerful our imagination is. When we imagine something like breathing in peace, we really start to feel more peaceful. So take in a deep breath now and fill yourself up with peace and happiness. Now slowly exhale but hold onto all that happiness and peace.

You’ve done a wonderful job relaxing your body and your mind, just like a floppy, peaceful rag doll.

After the Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Many kids fall asleep halfway through a muscle relaxation. If your child is still awake, use this time to talk about how it felt or what they experienced.

The more they can release tension from the body, especially starting from a young age, the healthier they’ll be in the long run.

If you’d like to try more options, you can also find kid friendly guided meditations for:

Focus & Concentration
Boosting Memory and Recall
Developing Gratitude
Cultivating Happiness
Or choose from 8 of the Best Sleep Meditations for Kids

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