Wellbeing
"The Olympic athletes show the whole world that it is possible to compete with each other, while living peacefully together. In this world of uncertainty that we are living in today, the Olympic Games are even more relevant than ever."
Thomas Bach,IOC President
2024 Bullying No Way; National Week of Action 12-16 August
Bullying No Way Week is all about the important roles school, family and community play in helping young people feel accepted, respected and that they have a place where they belong.
Next Wednesday the Well-being team will be organising an activity exploring friendships with the students.
https://theresilienceproject.com.au/kids-shows-2024/
How to try connected parenting:
"Strong positive parent-child relationships result in happier children and also have a positive impact on parents mental health. Win win..
Spending time with your child/ren is the best way to strengthen your connection. Reportedly it only takes 15 – 20 mins a day of undivided attention for a child to feel connected. This is even less time for younger children whose attention span is shorter.
Block out 15 mins as often as you can to spend time with your child/ren. Naming this as a special time just for your child sends a strong message to them that they are important and that you value them.
Some ideas may be;
Playing – this is their speciality let them take the lead… barbies, legos, the floor is lava, what’s the time mr wolf, sports, going for a walk, bike riding, dancing, cooking, colouring, making things, reading a book. Let your child choose – they love being able to choose.
For those really busy days there are also opportunities everyday in your normal routine for you to build on your connection– Chatting whilst bathing, cooking dinner together, eating, bedtime routine, chatting on the school run etc. Challenge yourself at these time to be fully present and give your child/ren your attention. Put the phone down, turn off the background TV and practise active listening.
Remember to be kind to yourself. Parenting is hard and we won’t always get it right. Be sure to also squeeze in some time for you." TRP@HOME
Did you know …
We spend 49% of our waking hours thinking about something other than what we’re doing!
Regular mindfulness practice can improve our:
- Immune system.
- Energy levels.
- Sleep quality.
- Awareness.
- Memory.
- Productivity.
Why don’t you give it a go? Find a mindfulness activity that suits you and that you enjoy, everyone is different. Below are some suggestions:
- Listening to music
- Cooking / Baking
- Exercise (eg: walking)
- Colouring
- Puzzles
- Meditation
- Yoga
"Supporting mental wellbeing in childhood, helping children navigate mental fitness and wellbeing can impact their health trajectory later in life. This stuff is really important."
https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/childrens-emotional-awareness-and-the-role-of-parents
Working on our emotional literacy gives us opportunities to develop our ability to understand and express different emotions. When we improve our emotional literacy, we can work towards recognising our own feelings and our ability to manage them. This allows us to cope with different life situations, such as managing conflict, making friends, coping in difficult situations, and being resilient when dealing with change.
Whole Family Activity: Feelings Charades
- Gather together as a family, this might be around the dinner table, lounge room, or around the fire outside.
- Take turns to act out a feeling or emotion. Use your face and body language to act this out, For example: Make an angry face and stamp your feet.
- Other family members need to guess the feeling/emotion.
- After someone has guessed the feeling/emotion, have family members discuss a time they have felt this way before and why. If it was a negative emotion, how did they overcome it?
Family Habit Builder:
Around the dinner table, ask everyone to share a feeling they felt during that day. Discuss how they dealt with that feeling and then discuss and share strategies you could use when faced with particular feelings.
What's on at the Hume Libraries:
https://humelibraries.events.mylibrary.digital/
2024 Children's Book Week: August 17-23
If interested: 'illustration magic' with Judith Rossell (Kid's Author) Monday 19 August 2024 at 4:00pm at Sunbury Library, children aged 6-12 and it's FREE!
Well-being Team
Social Worker - Mrs Linda Coughlan
Disability Inclusion Officer / AP - Ms Concetta Cera
Student Counsellor - Mrs Fatima Ghazzaoui
Play Therapist - Ms Elly Levis
Speech Pathologist - Jane Hill Waterson