As adults we should be doing everything we can to help the children in our lives to be as happy and healthy as possible. This is why we believe that we need to not only offer our support, but also give children the tools they need to protect their wellbeing. Teaching them what it means and how important it is.
But what is wellbeing?
We quite simply define wellbeing as feeling good and functioning well.
This means feeling content and confident and having the skills to comfortably tackle the day to day challenges a child faces.
Here are all our top tips on how to support your child’s wellbeing.
Create Healthy Habits
If a child is healthy then their wellbeing is improved, there are lots of small changes that can be made to support a child’s wellbeing.
Sleep
If a child is not getting enough sleep they will not function well throughout the day. This has a negative impact on mood and can be very frustrating for the child. By helping your child develop a healthy sleep schedule you are helping them to be happy and successful. A well-rested child will have more energy for school and play. They will also be more successful in regulating those big emotions every child feels. We appreciate that not every child finds sleep easy but getting enough sleep is key to a child’s wellbeing so should be prioritised.
Food
Everybody knows that a healthy diet is key. This is especially true for children as it supports their growth and development. The relationship a child has with food is also important. Food should be seen simply as fuel, a way for your children to build the energy they need in the day. Children should have a healthy balanced diet but this doesn’t mean no treats. For children all food is good food, they see a yummy treat as just that, something yummy. Children should be taught to enjoy food so that they grow up healthy and happy.
Exercise
Keeping active is beneficial to both physical and mental health. For children exercise comes in many different forms, for some children exercise may come from, dance, organised sport or swimming. For others exercise might mainly come from running around during play. Children usually seek out exercise naturally as they have so much energy to burn, exercise is also promoted in schools. A child’s wellbeing is improved when they simply get moving, this can be supported by involvement in sports and encouraging active play at home.
Support Mental Health
Mental health plays a he part in wellbeing, we want children to be as happy as possible and so supporting their mental health is vital.
Be there to listen
Regularly ask children how they are feeling, this opens up the chance to talk about mental health. Children become comfortable talking about their feelings and will know that should they need somebody to listen you will be there. If you talk openly about mental health children will see you as a safe space. This means that should they one day need mental health support they will come to you instead of facing struggles alone.
It is also important to listen to a child’s actions, although they may not always tell you how they feel with words a child may express difficult emotions in other ways. For example, challenging behaviour may be a direct result of stress or frustration. In these cases, we can see that a child may need support even without them directly asking for any.
Show a genuine interest in what they have to say
If you take what a child says seriously you teach them that their experiences and feelings are valued and important. This encourages them to speak to you about their feelings knowing that you will not only listen but care about what they have to say. This helps children to understand the importance of their own mental wellbeing.
Encourage their Interests
When children have a hobby or interest that they love this has a huge positive impact on their mental health as they have something positive to fucus on. This could be a sport which benefits wellbeing through exercise, or an opportunity to explore their creativity such as theatre.
Let children be children
Children are still learning about themselves and the world around them and because of this they experience things such as feelings more intensely. One amazing tool we can give children is teaching them to understand these emotions. For example, explaining to children why it is we might feel angry in certain situations and how best to deal with this feeling. Teaching a child how to calm themselves down on their own helps them to be more independent and also helps them to better understand themselves. Some people choose to teach their children mindfulness techniques in order to help regulate their emotions.
Potentially the most important thing to remember when thinking about the wellbeing of children is to let children be children. Wherever possible children should not have to be taking on unnecessary ‘adult’ stresses, they should be able to focus on themselves. Children should be concerned only with exploring their environment, learning exciting new things and having fun. All of these things can be achieved through play.
