During these troubling times, it can be difficult to assess how best to support your child and ensure that they have a healthy environment in which they can grow and thrive. Mental health is an important area to cultivate and nurture, and luckily, the stigma around openly discussing these issues has largely been lifted from the national conversation.
There are specific ways in which you, as a parent, can implement certain tools and activities that will help ensure that your child’s emotional and physical wellbeing is maintained at optimal levels, regardless of the current troubles looming on the horizon. Read on for a few tangible tips to keep your kids engaged and happy at a stressful time.
Yoga
Let’s start with the most engaging activity for adults and children alike, yoga. Yoga is an excellent way to keep your kids moving while funneling all that energy in a positive space way. Just as it does for adults, yoga helps stimulate the physical, mental, and emotional abilities of a child, and it is an excellent way to engage all the senses. It also helps increase confidence and positive self-image, arguably more than more traditional sports, since it takes the competitive element out of the equation. Besides, it’s an excellent way to get your child well acquainted with healthy practices and you can even do it together to increase your quality time and strengthen your bond.
ABA Therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy, commonly referred to as ABA, is a type of therapeutic methodology that helps improve a child’s social, communication, and learning skills through plenty of positive reinforcement. This treatment was specifically developed for children on the autism spectrum and is generally described as a scientific approach to understanding behavior. As the experts from ABA therapy in Texas will say, this mode of teaching primarily focuses on applying a set of principles in a way that refocuses behavioral changes, even those affected by the environment. Therefore, children with autism or who are on the spectrum can benefit from the activities designed in ABA therapy a great deal, as it provides them with a structured outlet for conversing, playing, and so on.
Meditation
Switching gears a bit, you can try to meditate with your child. While it may seem nearly impossible to get your rambunctious child to just sit there and listen to a few words while paying attention to his or her body, there are actually ways in which this is doable. There are now widely available apps you can download that have several guided meditations that are fun for the whole family. Some are geared towards increasing their self-esteem or helping them to relax before bed. Others consist of nature sounds that help nurture your child’s imagination by getting them used to visualize while also practicing different breathing exercises. Meditation is not only a lot of fun and relaxing, it helps your child feel more focused and centered, which is quite a feat given the nature of our current attention economy. Instead of having their attention taken up by electronic devices or the latest flashy television show, they can learn to sit, listen, and cultivate other necessary skills.
Blowing Bubbles
This may not seem like an incredibly mindful activity, but it’s actually a tremendously fun way to take deep breaths and enjoy the sunshine while running after bubbles. The focus it takes to breathe deeply then exhale slowly to fill a bubble and looking at the bubbles take shape, detach, float away, and pop is quite meditative – not to mention, a ton of fun.
Essentially, any activity that minimizes your child’s access to social media platforms, smartphones, iPads, or any other screen can help increase mindfulness and combat issues such as anxiety or restlessness.
Create a Calm Down Jar
A popular, therapist approved activity for children is making what is called a “calm down jar.” Basically, you grab a jar, add some water, glitter glue, and glitter, and have your kid shake it all up. The glitter will gloat slowly up and down, which can be soothing and relaxing for kids to watch, especially when they are having a difficult moment. They can also take some deep breaths as they watch the glitter settle, which helps to cultivate a sense of calm. Any time your child may be scared or worried about an upcoming event and seem unable to fully express themselves, sit down with them, and create a calm down jar to help alleviate the anxiety.
You can easily implement any of these activities at home to help your child get through a difficult moment. At the same time, it is worth remembering that these suggestions can only be helpful to your child’s development and overall well being when integrated with a calm and safe space, one that is free of judgment.