Our children’s mental health is a priority. As parents and carers, we strive to have happy and healthy children and support them in any way we can. I don’t know about you but with so much going on in our children’s lives, it is often hard to know how best to support them especially when we aren’t with them all of the time and don’t always know what situations they have faced each day. My children are 8 and 10 years old now and this is what I particularly find difficult. They spend so much time at school and when they come home and they haven’t had a particularly good day or they are quiet about their day, it is sometimes hard to work through it with them and know how best to support them.

No child is the same so there will never be a strategy or best way to offer support. Our children also develop and change so much whilst they grow up so ways of supporting your child will inevitably change over time.

I think a key priority is talking with our children. Talking through each day and offering guidance where we can. Consider the best time to talk about their day, for example a special time at night time before they go to bed reflecting on the greatest parts about their day and then something that wasn’t so great. Our children are in the driving seat to their mental well being but we can be there on the side lines cheering them on and boosting their confidence as much as possible. Talking is so important and the power of speech goes a very long way.

If you have a child who struggles to get out their words or talk about their day then the thumbs up, thumbs down strategy might work well. You ask your child questions which they can answer with thumbs up or thumbs down. Start the questions off very light and simple. Did you enjoy our journey into school today? Did you eat a nice lunch today? Then if you suspect something you could ask was everyone nice to you today? They can simply answer with thumbs up or thumbs down.

I came across this quote from Charlie Mackesy and absolutely love it:

‘Tears fall for a reason and they are your strength, not weakness’ – Charlie Mackesy

Children learning about different emotions, expressing emotions and learning strategies to deal with different emotions is so important as they grow and fundamental in order to manage their mental health.

I just want to conclude by saying that as parents, supporting our children’s mental health is tough and there is no one solution. All we can do is be there to support and guide our children and do the best we can. If you need someone to talk to, supporting each other in our journey as parents is important too. You can reach out to any of our Pop Up Play Village team, we would be more than happy to listen.