Keeping children healthy and happy involves looking after their
mental health as well as their physical health.
Mental health is about having a healthy mind and body, and
influences how we feel about ourselves, what we do, how we think, and how we
relate to others.
Good mental health helps us to form positive relationships with
others, handle ups and downs and generally enjoy life.
With good mental health, children can feel good about themselves
and be more open to trying and learning new things.
How parents and carers can support children’s mental health
Things can happen in children’s lives that make the risk of
developing mental health problems more likely. It is usually not possible to
eliminate all the risk factors that affect your children, but there are things
that parents and carers can do to reduce the impact of stress and help them
build strengths for effective coping.
1. Listen to children’s concerns
Having a caring adult to turn to when they are troubled, someone
who will listen, understand without judging, and help them solve problems, is a
critical protective factor for children’s mental health. Listening to children
and understanding their concerns lets them know they are important to you.
Remember, however, that children may not always be able to explain how they
feel. By observing their behaviour and gently inquiring about it, you can often
get a clearer picture of how they are feeling.
2. Provide reassurance
Children often worry that the bad things they experience will
happen again or get worse. For example, in a family breakup, when one parent or
carer leaves the family, children often become anxious that the remaining
parent or carer will also leave them. Similar worries are common when someone
dies or is hospitalised. Often these kinds of fears are expressed through
behaviours rather than words, such as becoming clingy, or being fearful about
sleeping by themselves. Showing that you understand children’s fears and
providing reassurance and support is important for helping them cope.
3. Provide security
Different kinds of stress and change can be very disruptive to
family life. Maintaining regular routines, such as bedtimes and mealtimes,
reduces disruptive impacts and helps to provide a sense of stability and
security for children. Similarly, children are reassured by knowing that a responsible
adult is taking care of them and looking after their needs.
4. Build children’s strengths and allow for vulnerabilities
Providing encouragement and positive feedback helps children build
confidence in their ability to manage difficult situations. Acknowledging and
appreciating the help and support that children provide to you during stressful
times also helps to build their strengths.
At the same time, it is important to give children permission to
not always have to be strong. Children who take on significant caring roles when
parents or carers are struggling often hide their vulnerabilities. Their desire
to avoid burdening parents and carers can cause additional hardship for these
children, who need to know that support is available to them and that there are
adults who will take care of them.
5. Make the connections and talk to educators
Early childhood educators and school staff can provide more
effective support for children when they understand some of the pressures they
may be facing in other parts of their lives. It is often very reassuring for
children as well as for parents and carers to know that educators understand
their difficulties and are ready to provide support. Staff at your child’s
school or early childhood service may also be able to provide you with support
and advice, or help you find support services that can assist you and your
children.
6. Seek additional help
If children show signs of emotional or behavioural difficulties, it
is important to seek professional help early, so that problems can be addressed
before they get worse. Getting support for yourself, through family and
friendship networks, your child’s school or early childhood service, or mental
health or community services, is also very important. Getting support helps to
build your own resilience so you can provide more effective care for your
children.
Emma McKenzie
Teacher - Edgerley Room
Wellbeing Facilitator
