Dear Parents and Carers,

Each fortnight in the newsletter will be little snippets of information that we hope will be helpful in building your family's understanding of mental health. Nick, Bec and I have begun our journey into what Mental Health in Primary Schools looks like from our schools' perspective. We already do many wellbeing and mental health experiences and activities to build students and staff capacity in having good mental health such as through friendship groups, respectful relationships, buddy activities, and general classroom relationship building activities and hope that by expanding our wellbeing into the parent community we can engage families to also learn about Mental Health with us.

The first part of our journey is unpacking what is mental health and what does it look like for our children:

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is the way children think and feel about themselves and the world around them. Good mental health is when children feel good about themselves and feel loved, safe and secure in their environment. Good mental health is an important part of healthy child development.

We all have mental health. Your mental health affects how you feel, think and act. It refers to your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Your mental health can change on a daily basis and over time, and can be affected by a range of factors.

It’s important to look after your mental health, as you would look after your physical health. Your state of wellbeing affects how you cope with stress, relate to others and make choices. It also plays a part in your relationships with your family, community, colleagues and friends.

Here are ideas to promote your child’s mental health through loving and supportive family relationships:

Tell your child that you love them, no matter what. You can also show love through your body language and nonverbal communication – for example, by making eye contact, giving your child a hug or smiling at your child.
Make time each day to talk and listen to your child. If your child wants to talk, try to stop what you’re doing and give them your full attention.
Enjoy time with your child doing activities they like. This could be reading together, kicking a ball, drawing, playing board games and so on.
Have regular family meals. Eating together can strengthen your relationship with your child, give your child a sense of stability and connectedness, and have a positive effect on their development. It might also encourage your child to eat well too.
Work on positive ways to solve problems and manage conflict with your partner, your child and other family members.

Please click on the link below to watch a wonderful explanation of children's mental health.

Next edition: Emotions and Good Mental Health

Until next time,

Katie, Nick and Bec

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