A Guide To Educating Children On Mental Health

It is vital that we teach our children about the importance of mental health, but it can be a daunting task. As children, mental health is essential as it is in our childhood years that we shape our perception of the world and those in it.

When we were younger mental health was not discussed nearly enough, and many of us suffered from it. To build a better world for our children, we must start with our children and teaching them how to be considerate and healthy.

Here are some ways that you can discuss the importance of mental health with your children.

Teach Them To Feel

Children naturally feel emotions and will be affected by them. It is essential to teach your child to identify those emotions. Identifying an emotion will go a long way to helping them solve that emotion.

When your child can identify their emotions, teach them to express those emotions to somebody they trust. Doing this will let your child know that they can safely express their feelings, and this will give them problem-solving tools to use as they grow up.

Teach Them To Unwind

Often we assume that when a child is playing or watching TV, they are unwinding because this is how adults relax. However, a child’s mind is almost always active, and they need tools to help calm their minds down.

Teaching your child to meditate or breathe mindfully is an excellent way that you can help them calm down. You can also teach them to use this practice when they have a big decision or a feeling they need to tackle.

Teach Them Good Self Esteem

It is in a child’s nature to seek validation from their elders. However, it is essential to teach your child that the most important validation comes from themselves. You can teach good self-esteem through positive affirmations that you repeat with your child about themselves.

You can also practice telling your child, “You must be so proud of yourself” when they achieve something. Doing this will teach them that while others see and appreciate their achievements, it is they who should be proud as they achieved the goal.

Teach Them To Journal

As your child gets older, they might prefer to keep their thoughts and feelings private. Once this happens, you can buy them a journal and encourage them to write their thoughts and feelings down to make sense of them.

Doing this will teach your child that they can use their journal both as a way to work through their feelings and find patterns to their emotions to come up with the best way to solve problems in their lives.