Healthy Kids • YMCA Child Care
6 ways parents can support children's mental health (part 1)
24 January 2019 - by Dawn Yan
As parents, all we want is for our children to grow up healthy and strong. Dave, much like any other parent, regularly takes his son to check-ups, immunizations, and even opts him in to the student nutrition program at his Child Care Centre. While part of Dave* feels reassured that he’s already doing everything he can to support his son, the other half of him constantly feels like he’s forgetting something crucial. Sometimes as parents, we forget to think about our children’s mental health and what (if anything) we’re doing to support it. While ensuring and supporting your child’s physical health is a huge task on its own, it should be noted that it’s equally as important to understand and support your child’s mental health.
On January 30th, children, youth and adults all around Canada will be joining the conversation to end the stigma around mental health and mental illness for Bell Let’s Talk Day. To help support and develop healthy bodies and healthy minds, we’re sharing 6 ways that parents can reinforce their child’s mental health and well-being:
Pay Attention to their Mentality
It has been said that mental health issues often begin with one’s mentality. As a parent, pay close attention to what your child thinks or says about themselves. As much as you try to shelter your baby boy/girl from the damaging words that come from others, children will inevitably be exposed to them. While this exposure may not necessarily be a bad thing--because it teaches them to learn about and develop new coping mechanisms--it can also lead them to believe that they are not good enough or encourage them to practice negative self-talk, which can lead to low self-esteem.
Pay attention to how your child copes with negative comments and emotions. If you are worried that they may be headed down a slippery slope, don’t be afraid to intervene--talk to your child about what they’re feeling, ask your educator for advice, and seek professional help if necessary.
Look Out for Red Flags
Have you noticed a sudden change in your child’s behaviour or mood recently? This could be a red flag! As a child, your little one may not fully understand or know how to talk about their feelings yet. This means that rather than expressing their feelings of sadness, anger, insecurity or uncertainty with words, their instinct will be to act out. Whether this is through behavioural issues or academics, your child will start to show more and more red flags as their mental health declines. If this happens, do your best to talk to your child about what they’re feeling and let them know that they’re not alone. Try to understand where they’re coming from and assure them that it’s completely normal to feel these emotions.
Build and Establish Trust
When trying to help a child navigate through their emotions, it’s critical that you not only validate their feelings but also take a step back to really listen to them. As adults, we tend to rush into giving others advice, but when it comes to children, we should put ourselves in their shoes and attempt to fully understand their situation from their perspective. What would the 6-year-old version of you have wanted in a situation like this?
When you are quick to listen and slow to speak, children are more likely to feel a sense of security with you. As a result, they will feel as though they can trust and confide in you both now and in the future. Having a trusted adult they can talk to about their issues or uncertainties can make all the difference in a child’s mental well-being.
Interested in learning more about what you can do for your child? Read Part 2 of our two-part blog series we share 3 other ways parents can help support their child’s mental health.
At the Y, we understand that a healthy body starts with a healthy mind; that’s why we take a holistic approach to community health that embodies all aspects of physical, mental and social well-being. Working in collaboration with our Health & Fitness programs, Youth Programs, and Family Support Programs, we’re able to build and support the healthiest communities, kids, youth, young adults, and families in the GTA. To learn more about our Family Support Programs, please visit our website.
*Dave's story is fictitious, based on common experiences among our Child Care parents.
On January 30th, children, youth and adults all around Canada will be joining the conversation to end the stigma around mental health and mental illness for Bell Let’s Talk Day. To help support and develop healthy bodies and healthy minds, we’re sharing 6 ways that parents can reinforce their child’s mental health and well-being:
Pay Attention to their Mentality
It has been said that mental health issues often begin with one’s mentality. As a parent, pay close attention to what your child thinks or says about themselves. As much as you try to shelter your baby boy/girl from the damaging words that come from others, children will inevitably be exposed to them. While this exposure may not necessarily be a bad thing--because it teaches them to learn about and develop new coping mechanisms--it can also lead them to believe that they are not good enough or encourage them to practice negative self-talk, which can lead to low self-esteem.
Pay attention to how your child copes with negative comments and emotions. If you are worried that they may be headed down a slippery slope, don’t be afraid to intervene--talk to your child about what they’re feeling, ask your educator for advice, and seek professional help if necessary.
Look Out for Red Flags
Have you noticed a sudden change in your child’s behaviour or mood recently? This could be a red flag! As a child, your little one may not fully understand or know how to talk about their feelings yet. This means that rather than expressing their feelings of sadness, anger, insecurity or uncertainty with words, their instinct will be to act out. Whether this is through behavioural issues or academics, your child will start to show more and more red flags as their mental health declines. If this happens, do your best to talk to your child about what they’re feeling and let them know that they’re not alone. Try to understand where they’re coming from and assure them that it’s completely normal to feel these emotions.
Build and Establish Trust
When trying to help a child navigate through their emotions, it’s critical that you not only validate their feelings but also take a step back to really listen to them. As adults, we tend to rush into giving others advice, but when it comes to children, we should put ourselves in their shoes and attempt to fully understand their situation from their perspective. What would the 6-year-old version of you have wanted in a situation like this?
When you are quick to listen and slow to speak, children are more likely to feel a sense of security with you. As a result, they will feel as though they can trust and confide in you both now and in the future. Having a trusted adult they can talk to about their issues or uncertainties can make all the difference in a child’s mental well-being.
Interested in learning more about what you can do for your child? Read Part 2 of our two-part blog series we share 3 other ways parents can help support their child’s mental health.
At the Y, we understand that a healthy body starts with a healthy mind; that’s why we take a holistic approach to community health that embodies all aspects of physical, mental and social well-being. Working in collaboration with our Health & Fitness programs, Youth Programs, and Family Support Programs, we’re able to build and support the healthiest communities, kids, youth, young adults, and families in the GTA. To learn more about our Family Support Programs, please visit our website.
*Dave's story is fictitious, based on common experiences among our Child Care parents.
