The recent tumultuous pandemic has driven home the value of self-care for most adult
Americans, says StudyFinds. Sixty-seven percent have made self-care a part of their daily lives now. It’s only through self-care can we manage stress, stay healthy and happy, and, indeed, thrive in the face of challenges. Self-care is just as important for children as it is for adults, if not more so, and teaching them how to practice self-care requires carving out time to focus on their needs; this includes a few simple ideas like being sure you’re there for them at bedtime and creating a few memorable experiences together. Children need more structure and guidance than adults do, and are less resilient overall. Self-care activities not only make them happier and less stressed, but also provide a solid foundation on how to be. Today, Beelieve Academy offers some advice on imparting self-care to your kids:
Make Your Expectations Clear
It’s easiest to teach self-care if you and your child are on the same page about the concept. It’s a good idea to have a conversation with your child about what self-care is – activities and routines that promote your overall wellbeing – and why it’s important. Making your expectations clear will give your child clarity on how they now need to behave, and why.
Model Self-Care for Your Kids
Children learn best from watching and imitating their parents. That means if you want self-care to stick, you will need to practice it yourself and make it a part of your lifestyle. Make your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing a priority, and your kids will too.
Everyone in your family unit needs to, essentially, work together to implement self-care and practice it. This includes managing and reducing stress as a family. For instance, if you’re a work-from-home parent, establishing ground rules together can protect everyone’s well-being and create a schedule everyone can understand and respect.
Offer Self-Care Activities
Self-care activities are practices that promote well-being. The goal is to have a healthy mind, body, and heart, and be a well-balanced human being. Keep your child’s personality, age, and interests in mind when offering them self-care activities. It may be a good idea to work together to build up a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. Below are some activity suggestions:
● Exercise: Exercise allows your kids to get to know their bodies better, not to mention
teaches them limits, consequences, and the value of hard work. Make it fun by setting
up a trampoline or a jungle gym in the backyard, or getting them a skateboard for their
birthday. These items get them outside, too, which has its own benefits. Read up on
home product reviews and recommendations before shopping around.
● Meditation: Meditating at home is a great way to keep negative emotions like anger at
bay, and is a great stress-buster too. You can use guided meditation videos to help your
child.
● Eating healthy: Eating good food is important on several levels. It can affect your child’s
mood, energy levels, and general health. Encourage your child to eat nutritious food,
and educate them on healthy food choices.
● Socializing: Teamwork and learning how to co-operate and co-exist with other people
are important life skills. You can educate your child and provide fun games that
encourage cooperative behavior.
● Practicing gratitude: Gratitude makes you happy and healthy, as Harvard Health
Publishing can confirm. It teaches your kids to appreciate the small things, builds
stronger relationships, and is supportive of their health.
Encourage Self-Dependence
To truly cement self-care, you should encourage your child to practice and implement your teachings by themselves. Ask them to come to you for advice, if they need it, but let them try out activities alone first. It’s okay if they don’t succeed – trying is what’s important. It builds some much-needed self-confidence. They learn how to think for themselves and can practice self-care when they’re away from you.
Conclusion
Self care has recently been a topic of discussion within the last 20 years and even moms still feel guilty taking time for themselves. Teaching self care to children is an even newer concept. If you can help to make self-care an important part of your child’s lifestyle now, during their formative years, it will become a part of who they are. As a result, their transition to adulthood will be far smoother, and their life will be better for it.
Beelieve Academy offers premier preschool education for a fraction of the cost of a local
program. To learn more, please email admin@bee-lieveacademy.com.
Thank you to Alice Robertson for contributing this awesome article. Alice Robertson recently created Tidy Home as a place to share the great cleaning and organizing advice she has developed over the years. Alice loves helping others, and she knows having a clean, organized home can do wonders for stress and mental health.
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