How do we support our children and their mental health?
Start talking!
3 tips on how to start conversations
Excellent tips on how you can get the conversation started and going at home. Click the video below.
This post is shared from: www.onoursleeves.org/mental-wellness-tools-guides/conversation-starters/starting-conversations
Even before the pandemic, we saw alarming trends when it came to children’s mental health. Children want and need to be heard, supported and respected.
How do we support our children and their mental health?Start talking!Talking to children about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences is necessary for their healthy growth and development. When you talk to children openly and honestly about their day-to-day routine and their mental health, you can learn about concerns or problems they are dealing with, help them problem solve, and build their confidence for facing difficult moments in life. And the more you have conversations, the easier they are to have when difficult topics come up!
How do you start conversations? Here are three tips.
Even before the pandemic, we saw alarming trends when it came to children’s mental health. Children want and need to be heard, supported and respected.
How do we support our children and their mental health?Start talking!Talking to children about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences is necessary for their healthy growth and development. When you talk to children openly and honestly about their day-to-day routine and their mental health, you can learn about concerns or problems they are dealing with, help them problem solve, and build their confidence for facing difficult moments in life. And the more you have conversations, the easier they are to have when difficult topics come up!
How do you start conversations? Here are three tips.
- Set the stage. The work begins before you even start the conversation. If your family creates a daily habit of checking in and talking with each other, it will make conversations about their mental health or concerns easier.
- Pick times with low distractions where children are more likely to focus on the conversation and share, such as family dinners, bedtime routines, car rides or short daily walks.
- Model the behavior. Children learn by watching us.
- If you share about your day, thoughts and feelings, kids will learn to do the same. If you had a hard day, share that too! Sharing, at their appropriate developmental level, helps children learn that emotions are normal and how to cope with them by watching you.
- Ask open-ended questions. You can talk about all kinds of topics, not just emotions or behaviors. Remember, your goal is to create the habit of feeling comfortable sharing with you. Download the questions below to help.
- Find the right time for difficult conversations. Pick a time when everyone is calm and emotions are not high. Ask permission to start the conversation and if your child is not ready, ask them when a good time would be. Make sure you’re in a private area with low interruptions.
- Compromise! Let them know you care about them and what’s going on in their lives, so you want time to check in. Ask them when a better time would be instead and try again. Children are more likely to engage if they feel some control or choice over a situation.
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