The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is Let’s Connect. Which is a good reminder, because connection is vital for helping kids open up about how they feel, and listen to others, too. This encourages bonding and builds resilience. But in a constantly-busy always-on world, it can be difficult to make time to really connect with the children in your life.
Action for Children’s Parenting Coach, Jo Thurston, shares five of the best things you can do to support your child’s mental health today.
Take time together
Try doing something together – whether it’s cooking a new recipe, playing a board game, getting stuck into arts and crafts or even just going for a drive. This shared experience could open you both up, and build an emotional bond to encourage communication. Whatever you choose, use the time to connect, talk and be emotionally available.
Be active
It’s a well-known fact that physical activity is a great stress reliever. Why not gather some of your child’s friends or family members to the local park for a team game of five-a-side football or rounders? For families with access needs, why not try wheelchair basketball, rugby or sitting volleyball? By encouraging team sports, it can help develop emotional resilience, communication skills and an understanding of working together to support one another.
Take notice
When your child is feeling overwhelmed, a great coping tool for stressful situations can be to connect with your five senses. Think about what you can see, hear, smell, touch and taste - and try to find an example for each. For example, if you can hear birds singing in the tree, take time to listen and acknowledge it. This grounding exercise is a brilliant way of focusing on being present and promoting mindfulness.
Think about others
Think about encouraging an act of kindness toward someone else. This could be for another family member, friend or neighbour. You could even suggest to your child that they look at volunteering projects locally. This is a great way to help them understand the feelings and needs of others, and to boost their self-esteem and independence.
Learn
Take up a new hobby or learn a new skill together. This can be a great way of building self-confidence and positive thinking and can also be a way to connect with others.
For free and confidential parenting advice, visit Action For Children
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