Interoception: Kids, energy and the body budget

Interoception may be a big word but it’s really helpful to understand if you’re raising small kids.

In this video, one of Australia’s favourite parenting authors and educators Maggie Dent talks about this important, intricate concept. We now know from neuroscience that your body and your brain are constantly working together – moment to moment, without you even being aware of it – so your body can do what it needs.

Maggie explains a concept from Lisa Feldman Barrett’s book “How Emotions Are Made” of the body budget. Our body needs to balance out all of the energy needed to do things like keeping our hearts beating, growing our fingernails and moving our bodies as required. For little ones, sometimes our body budget is well out of balance and meltdowns can ensue!

With understanding, comes patience… so please do enjoy this exploration of this concept.

For more on this, check out Lisa Feldman Barrett’s work here.

For tips on managing anger and tantrums, visit Maggie’s page here.

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