Looking After Our Children’s Mental Health
The last two years has been the toughest two years of not only our lives but more importantly our children’s lives. The disruption and upheaval they have experienced must under no circumstances be underestimated. That’s because the effect of school closures, lockdowns and the covid pandemic on our children’s mental health is something that could possibly have a detrimental effect on their young minds for years to come.
This year children’s mental health week is 7th-13th February and the theme this year is growing together. It will be all about encouraging children and adults to think and consider how they have grown and how they can help others to grow.
Thankfully the pandemic is now hopefully coming to end, which in turn means that life will return to something we remember as normal. The schools will stay open all of the time and children’s activities and clubs can now operate in a more normal fashion.
We as parents can do a lot of things that will help and support our children’s mental health so they are prepared and ready to take anything on in life. Here are a couple of suggestions that will help our children.
1. Outdoor Play
Playing outdoors can be done at any time of year and it’s very important for your childs development. Outdoor play will help your child develop essential physical skills and abilities including their motor skills along with very important life skills such as problem solving, resilience and social skills.
Most importantly outdoor play is loads of fun and if your children are having fun they are learning more. It gives them the freedom to run, jump, climb and simply explore the world around them. It will make your children curious about the surroundings they live in and spark their imaginations.
2. Consider Professional Opinions
Most parents want to do everything they can to ensure their children are healthy and happy. But unfortunately, sometimes, kids experience problems with their mental health that can be difficult for parents to deal with on their own. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to turn, The Awareness Centre can help! They are a professional counselling centre that provides services for people of all ages.
By seeking out professional opinions and help, you’re taking an essential step in ensuring your child gets the care and support they need.
3. Mindfulness For children at home
Mindfulness is a practice of stopping and noticing . It’s a very important life skill not only for children but adults as well and will help the family unit. Mindfulness allows us to take a step back from what can be very busy lives and offering space and clarity which in turn allows us to make choices about our wellbeing. This helps us to respond more skilfully to the present moment and not react.
Mindfulness trains us to direct our attention to the present moment through physical sensations, thoughts, emotions and everyday activities like walking and eating. The ultimate aim of mindfulness is to live in the moment instead of worrying about the future or what may have happened in the past. To help our children it’s important to encourage them to talk about their mindful experience taking the time to listen and find out how they are feeling and under no circumstances be judgemental.
Mindfulness can also be encouraged in the classroom to engage in a mindful activity by getting creative and inspire our children.
If you are struggling with ideas of how to improve your children’s mental health, there is a brilliant website called Learning Resources that can help with lots of free activity sheets, outdoor health and wellbeing and how they can express themselves with creative play. They also have a wide range of emotional development toys, mindfulness and wellbeing products and sensory fidget toys. To learn more check out Learning Resources right here.
