Parents and family members are usually the first ones to notice their child’s mental health problems. As a parent, you have a huge role in supporting your child’s mental health and help them to promote their mental well being. So, how can you help your child stay mentally healthy? What are the effective ways of promoting mental well being in kids?
Here are some actions that you can take to promote your child’s mental well being.
Spend quality time with your child
Being a parent demands a lot of responsibilities with your children. Especially if you are a working parent, it’s never easy for you to optimise your work-life balance, and spend quality time with your kids. You may not always feel in control as you have to fulfill so many responsibilities- managing a job, maintaining a home, looking after your family, having a social life, and much more. Even when you are spending time with your kids, it’s easy to become distracted with cell phones or other tasks, therefore, leading to lack of engaging conversation and emotional connection with your kids. That’s why, it is equally important to be concerned about your child’s mental well being and make them feel that you really care about them.
To promote their mental wellbeing, you need to spend quality time with your child, actively listen to your child and their feelings. No matter how busy you are or distracted with other problems, still you need to put all your worries on one side and enjoy a quiet activity with your children. For instance, it can be helping your child with their assignments, telling stories to your kids, playing games together and many more. Besides, you need to have an engaging conversation on a regular basis so that your child feels comfortable to share his/her problems with you.
Playtime is a must
Encourage your children to play games. Playing games add lots of benefits in their physical and mental well being, as well as create an emotional bond with your child. Don’t you wish that?
Parents can be best pals for their children. But wait, there is more, you can utilize play time by time sharing ideas, teaching them important lessons and helping them to learn self-control and problem-solving skills.
Besides, if possible under your supervision, ensure that your child spends time playing games with other peer groups. Children are fast learners, and it’s equally important to surround them with peers, so that they will develop social skills and create a connection with other people. Moreover, encourage your child’s participation in various extracurricular activities in school, local communities and parks.
While playing games, parents should encourage kids to have fun rather than focus on their success and winning. Many children often get discouraged to participate and enjoy games as they are more concerned about their parent’s judgement towards their accomplishment. Parents should encourage kids to enjoy the process more than achieving goals so that they will develop a positive attitude when they have setbacks and failures.
Give your children unconditional love
We all need love. Like most parents, it is crucial to give your children unconditional love for their mental well being. Having said that, a number of studies reveal that a loving parent-child relationship contributes to their mental well being. As a loving parent, you should accept your child’s mistakes and setbacks. Your child should be aware that your love is unconditional, and does not rely on their accomplishments. And the best part is a loving and nurturing environment helps your children to develop their self-confidence and self-esteem. On the flip side, lack of parental love, abuse in childhood linked to multiple mental health problems in adulthood.
Nurture your child’s self-esteem
Kids love getting attention and praise from parents. Your attention helps to nurture your child’s self-esteem and confidence. So praise your child for their efforts of trying and involvement in activities.
As a parent, you need to create an environment of active participation in extracurricular activities in order to improve your child’s self-confidence. With your help, your child will find inspiration to try new activities which can build their self-esteem. Here’s the bottom line, set realistic goals for your child and encourage them to explore and learn. Even if they fall short or make mistakes, you should acknowledge their failure and give a positive assurance for their work. Parents must be honest with children, regarding failure, and should encourage them to try new activities.
Provide appropriate guidance
Children should be provided with an opportunity to develop new skills and talents for their holistic development. At the same time, you should provide the right guidance and help them reach their fullest potential. This means you should make your child aware of the consequences of their actions and behaviours. For instance, if you are giving feedback to your child, s/he should understand that you are teaching them some important lessons and let them know “why” you are doing to them.
It all boils down to this, parents are role models for their children. If you aren’t practicing good behaviour, then you cannot expect it from your child. So parents should set an example to their child because your child is more likely to imitate your behaviour.
There is nothing to be ashamed of talking about your child’s mental health. The good news is with the involvement of parents and schools, we can create a suitable environment for the physical and mental well being of our students. At Samriddhi School, we are concerned about the mental health of our students, that’s why we provide personal counseling services. With the consent of parents, we provide guidance from experts and helping them to develop their ability to cope with their temporary and long-term difficulties. Samriddhi School, one of the best schools in Kathmandu, is committed to inspire and motivate students to achieve the highest standards of intellectual development as well as personal growth, through a stimulating and comprehensive STEAM educational program.
For more information about our school in Kathmandu, please visit our website or Contact us– 014390590/ 4383777.