Calming anxiety in your child.
A few practical hints how to deal with your child when becoming anxious in these times of uncertainty.
Please read and apply to support you in becoming more effective as a parent soothing your child.
Mindfullness for children
In an article for the New York Times: Well, David Gelles explains why mindfulness is such a powerful tool to teach your children.
Mindfulness is a technique that encourages you to focus on the present moment in an accepting non-judgemental way, using your different senses to explore and appreciate the moment. It is a proven way in which to decrease anxiety and promote happiness. Gelles explains how mindfulness helps and also why early habits can already encourage the development of skills like self- regulation, judgement and patience. He furthermore describes ways of being mindfully present in your child’s life, from infant stage through to the adolescent years, as well as why this is so important.
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/mindfulness-for-children
Fun and Affordable Hobbies for Children
Parent 24 has shared some lovely ideas regarding fun activities to entice little bodies to be creatively busy. So much time is spent cooped up at home, due to lockdown and Covid safety measures, it is important to still encourage stimulating activities. Fine and gross motor skills are practised in a fun manner and the whole family can take part in some of the hobbies. From gardening to dancing to baking, children can learn new skills, while at the same time spend priceless time with mom, dad or siblings.
What makes this article especially interesting is the fact that videos are attached, demonstrating and explaining origami, gardening, hip hop dancing, magic tricks, as well as yoga for kids.
Surviving Tough Times by Building Resistance
Everybody experiences times of sadness, anxiety and distress in their lives, but some people appear to cope better than others. One of the factors determining how well you cope with life’s adversities, is the strength of your resilience (your ability to adjust to and cope with negative circumstances).
Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith have recently written an article with advice on how to strengthen resilience in ourselves. Their tips are helpful regardless of age, background or circumstances. Through practicing acceptance, reaching out to others, investing in self-care, finding meaning and purpose and remaining motivated, we can learn how to face hardships with more confidence, believing that we will cope until we reach brighter days again.
In the midst of a pandemic, economic distress and lockdown regulations, stress and negativity is the order of the day. Thank you to the authors of this article for the valuable advice on how to boost our resilience and consequently improve our mental health.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/surviving-tough-times.htm
ROOM TO RENT
How to strengthen Parent-child relationship
After the last couple of months of stress and uncertainty, we wanted to share this blog post about how to reset and how to rebuild parent-child relationships. Our children are struggling and do not understand everything that is happening which is why we want to place focus on building and maintaining strong relationships within the family unit.
Corona virus activities
We found a lovely activity pack created by Long Creations that will keep the kids busy, help them to understand and process the world we are experiencing at the moment. It might even spark some conversation at the family dinner table.
2020 Covid-19 time capsule sheets.pdf
If you want to see what else Long Creations has to offer, here are some links:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/LongCreations/about/?ref=page_internal
COVID -19 National Lockdown declaration.
What to do (and not to do) when children are anxious
Dr Clark Goldstein, as part of the Child Mind Institute, gives valuable tips in this article explaining how to respect an anxious child’s feelings, without empowering the fears. The goal is to help children escape the cycle of anxiety, rather than trying to protect the child from the fears. Instead of trying to remove the stressors, the child should rather be taught how to tolerate his/ her anxiety and still function despite being anxious. In the long term, children are thus better able to cope with daily life stressors.
Further information on the basics of child anxiety, and what the symptoms are, can be read at https://childmind.org/guide/anxiety-basics/ , also published online by the Child Mind Institute. This guide will help parents to distinguish between normal anxiety and the types of anxiety where professional help is needed to optimally support the child.
The Child Mind Institute is an independent non-profit organisation in the United States, that shares its resources freely, to help children and families struggling with mental health and learning problems.
https://childmind.org/article/what-to-do-and-not-do-when-children-are-anxious/
Summer Holiday Speech Therapy ideas
Cute toddler boy and his young mother watering plants in the garden at summer sunny day
It’s so important for your child to learn through experiences. Take the opportunity this holiday to engage with your child, expanding their vocabulary, targeting their articulation and having fun whilst learning and bonding together. Here are some easy ideas to incorporate language development through daily activities. We hope you enjoy them during this festive season!
https://www.speechtherapytalk.com/summer-speech-therapy-ideas.html
Some additional ideas:
https://www.speechtherapytalk.com/holiday-speech-therapy.html