The Centre for Child Mental Health, Massage in Schools

Massage in Schools Training (run by Massage in Schools)

Origins
Teacher led, child to child massage sessions were introduced into several schools in Sweden in 1996. Children were aged from four upwards. The results were dramatic.

Studies have shown: a reduction in bullying and less aggression in the school culture as a whole; children more able to learn; children asking to borrow other children’s toys instead of snatching; children with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) developing better motor skills and a marked rise in concentration.

What exactly does it entail?
Massage is always fully clothed and restricted to arms, shoulders, upper back and neck. Teachers do not massage children. The massage sequences are made into games and stories, e.g. drawing a weather forecast with the sun coming out, fluffy white clouds appearing, rain drops falling. Children have great fun making pizzas, planting a garden and visiting a zoo, all on their friend’s back! By drawing the letters of the alphabet on their friend’s back, children with writing problems and dyslexia get to feel the letters and are able to improve their reading and writing abilities.

Safety, Permission and Respect
The work is based on clear neurobiological and psychological principles. After parental permission is gained, children are firstly taught the importance of respect, by asking if their friend wants a massage.

Benefits for children
Direct experience of respectful, kind and gentle ways of relating; increased self-esteem; increased alertness; a balancing of the autonomic nervous system and so an increase in calm and a decrease in stress; benefits to the immune system.

So How Will Massage in Schools Training Benefit Me?
After taking the Massage in Schools training, people report feeling inspired to make a change in the life of the children with whom they work, having simple yet powerful tools to enable them to do so. Many schools have implemented a 15 minute massage session every morning with great results.

International Guest Trainers include:

Mia Elmsater (Sweden). Infant Massage Instructor and Trainer with The International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM). Started the programme of Massage in Schools in Sweden in 1996. Founder of massage programmes for daycare and nursing homes. Set up support groups for parents whose babies were born with special needs.

Sylvie Hetu (Canada). President of The Board of The International Association of Infant Massage. Infant Massage Trainer with the IAIM and Educational Consultant. Part-time teacher in Rudolph Steiner school in Montreal.