Wellbeing

Pivot Feedback

Our year 3-6 cohort have been using the PIVOT platform for a wellbeing check in each week. Questions the kids respond to are rotated and include sleep, health, school work, hobbies, resilience, belonging and safety. We encourage our kids to 'ask for help when you need it' to assist them in recognising when a problem, worry or situation would benefit from support from someone they trust. It has been great to see our kids being more aware of this skill and the positive changes in the data. This is also something you can do at home across all year levels. 

The following are some tips from Be You and the partnership with Emerging Minds.

Give them ownership of problems. Resist the urge to jump in and save the day when your child experiences a problem. Instead, listen intently and give them ownership of the problem. 

Give them ownership of feelings. In order to advocate for themselves, children need the ability to recognise and understand their emotions and then they need strategies to express those emotions in ways that are constructive and appropriate. Avoid telling your child how you think they feel or how they should feel (like saying, “There’s no reason to cry, it didn’t hurt that bad”). Instead, allow them to define and express their feelings and let them know they are heard, like saying, “It sounds like you are feeling really worried about this situation". 

Nurture independence. Create opportunities for your child to be independent and advocate for themselves. Ask them to order for themselves in a restaurant, ask a store clerk for assistance or share a concern with their teacher. Help your child get into the habit of speaking up for themselves and asking for what they need.

Be their best backup. When you help your child learn to speak up for themselves you give them opportunities to be independent, but it doesn’t mean they have to do it all alone. Your child can approach tough tasks with confidence when they know they have you as backup. Let them take the lead and lean on you when they need to. You can be their cheerleader, supporter and sounding board, but let them sit in the driver’s seat.

Show them the value of speaking up.  Sometimes we are afraid to speak up and advocate for ourselves because we don’t want to be a bother or make trouble, or we are concerned about how other people will respond. Tell your child about a time when you spoke up or advocated for yourself and how it turned out. Speaking up won’t always solve a problem quickly and easily, but it is so important to show children the value of being brave and speaking out.

Get involved in public advocacy. Think about your child’s interests and what they are passionate about. What causes can they stand behind? Help your child get involved in an organisation that stands for something your child believes in. Help them participate in something bigger than themselves and realise that through advocacy, real change is possible.