Wellbeing

Fun ideas for the School Holiday break

Click the underlined words for detailed descriptions of the activities

1. Donate. Before or after new toys make it into your house, make a few piles and choose what to donate, throw away or keep.
2. Go on a scavenger hunt outside.
3. Turn your playroom into a grocery store , toy store or coffee shop.
4. Work off some energy in your own boot camp.
5. Go on an alphabet hunt.
6. Play hide and seek.
7. Go on a photo safari and write a book about your neighborhood.
8. Make a mural .
9. Make your own constellation.
10. Make a volcano without too much mess!
11. Have an ice cream taste test.
12. Start a journal.
13. Measure with lego.

Keeping children safe online during summer holidays. (esafety parents)

During the summer break, children often spend more time online. Help them to have fun and keep them safe from online risks like inappropriate contact, online grooming and sexual extortion. Here’s how: 

1. Stay involved – regularly check their online activities and connect with them by playing online games together.  
2. Set family rules together – decide which devices and apps are okay and when to use them.  
3. Teach consent – Use holiday photos to discuss why asking people before taking or sharing their picture is important. These everyday opportunities to talk about consent can make it easier to say no to an online request that makes them feel uncomfortable. 
4. Stay informed – A new joint resource with Crime Stoppers NSW and the ACCE includes tips on signs to look out for and ways to protect your child online. eSafety also has several resources for parents on how to keep your child safe online.  
5. Know where to get help – If your child is under 18, the best way to get help on inappropriate contact is to report it to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation. For reporting to eSafety, learn what you can report and how to report. 

Healthy Transitions

The end of the educational year brings changes, both big and small, for children, young people and adults. 

Be You In Focus Webinar: Transitions – preparing children and young people for change (Please click to watch)

Everyone reacts differently to change – some find it exciting, some find it stressful, some hardly notice it happened.

Adults use their experience and existing knowledge to predict what changes may be like, and how it may affect them and can develop strategies to help them adjust and cope.

Children and young people don’t often have as much prior knowledge or experience to draw on which can make change more difficult and challenging.

Transitions are everywhere, every day

Transitions are best described as change: a period where we must adapt to new circumstances, expectations, people, environments or routines. 

Transition involves more than the first day in a new situation – it’s happens over time both before and after what we think of as the ‘big’ day. How quickly children and young people adjust varies. 

When thinking about types of transitions for children and young people we might consider:

1. their first transition from home to an early learning service 
2. the first year of school
3. moving from primary to secondary school 
4. finishing secondary school and moving to the next stage of study or work.

However, small transitions are happening every day for children and young people: saying goodbye to family in the morning, stopping one thing and starting something new, moving from one room or building to another. 

Transitions also occur in home life: moving house, going on holiday, the birth of a sibling, family changes, separations or bereavements. 

These early years’ experiences can influence how we approach and cope with transitions throughout life.

What we might observe during transitions

Children and young people often communicate their feelings through behaviour. They rely on the adults around them to understand, acknowledge and interpret their behaviour, and provide a safe, secure, predictable space for them.  

Transitions are successful when children and young people feel confident, secure and included – and these are all important protective factors for children’s mental health and wellbeing.

Supporting transitions and building resilience

We build resilience by learning and developing social and emotional skills – including coping skills. With these skills we manage life stressors, grow confidence and willingness to try new things, and seek and accept help when required. 

During transitions, things we can do that provide the most positive experience for children and young people, maintain and grow relationships, and reduce routine disruption and stress include: 

1. Plan and prepare for transitions through a supportive orientation process.
2. Have consistent communication with everyone - including children, young people, their families and educators.  
3. Develop strategies that include planning for and respecting diversity and individual needs.
4. Be flexible when the unexpected happens.
5. Establish routines as soon as possible to develop a sense of predictability in the new environment.

Occupational Therapy

We have no waitlist for Occupational Therapy services!

We can support you with the below supports:

• Therapeutic Interventions
• Functional Capacity Assessments & Reports
• Assistive Technology Recommendations
• Home Modifications
• And much more, reach out today to find out how we can support you!

We can service the Bayside, South, South-East and Eastern Metro Melbourne areas, and can also offer telehealth supports nationally!

We have attached a flyer for your reference and further details regarding our services. You can also check out our website here: moira.org.au/arliam/

CoolKid Psychology

PSYCHOLOGISTS WITH IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY 

CoolKid Psychology is a private clinic located in Black Rock, dedicated to supporting children, adolescents, parents, and families. Our clinic provides a comprehensive range of services, including therapy and assessments for a variety of presentations such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, Autism, learning difficulties, and behavioural differences and challenges, such as Pathological Demand Avoidance.

We are pleased to let you know we are currently accepting new clients. We have immediate availability for therapy and assessment services with our experienced psychologists. We also offer telehealth services, making our support easily accessible to families. Our skilled client support team spends time with new clients to thoroughly understand their current needs to ensure they are matched with the clinician best suited to help achieve their goals. 

Josy Reeder

Learning Diversity and Student Wellbeing Leader