Wellbeing

Year 6/7 Cafe Kizuna - sushi lunch

Hi Everyone

It is easy for parents to identify their child’s physical needs like nutritious food, warm clothes when it is cold, bedtime at a reasonable hour. However, a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be as obvious. Good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills. Additionally, good friends and encouraging words from adults are all important for helping children develop self-confidence, high self-esteem, and a healthy emotional outlook on life.

Basics for a child’s good mental health:

Unconditional love from family- Love, security and acceptance should be at the heart of family life. Children need to know that your love does not depend on his/her accomplishments. Mistakes and/or defeats should be expected and accepted. Confidence grows in a home that is full of unconditional love and affection. Self-confidence and high self-esteem- For nurturing kids’ confidence and self-esteem, you can do the following:

Praise them- Encourage the kids to learn a new game as that helps them to explore and learn about their surroundings. Assure them by smiling and talking to them often. Be an active participant in their activities. Your attention helps build their self-confidence and self-esteem. 

Set realistic goals- children need realistic goals that match their ambition with their abilities. With the help of parents, kids can choose the activities that test their abilities and increase their self-confidence.

Be Honest- Do not hide your failures from children. It is important for them to know that we all make mistakes. It can be very re-assuring to know that adults are not perfect.

Avoid sarcastic remarks- if a child loses a game or fails a test, find out how he/she feels about the situation. Kids may get discouraged and need a pep talk. Later, when they are ready, talk and offer assurance.

Encourage them- to not only strive to do their best, but also enjoy the process. Try new activities that teach them about teamwork, self-esteem and different new skills.

Opportunity to play – Playtime is important for kids as it helps them to be creative, learn problem solving and self-control.

Talk about your feelings- we all lose our temper from time to time. If you do “blow your top”, it is important to talk about what happened and why you are angry. Apologize if you were wrong!

Provide a safe and secure home - it’s okay for children to feel afraid sometimes. Everyone is afraid of something at some point in their life. Fear and anxiety grow out of experiences that we do not understand. If your children have fears that will not go away and effect his or her behaviour, the first step is to find out what is frightening them. Be loving, patient and reassuring, not critical.

The goal is to support your child, to learn self-control and build up their strengths. 

Here’s the Nature Play SA website, which you might like to visit to find out about some free outdoor activities and places to explore during the holidays. 

https://natureplaysa.org.au/families/nature-play-downloads/

Have a wonderful and enjoyable spring break.

Kind regards,

Tina Mouzakitis

Wellbeing Coordinator

tina.mouzakitis552@schools.sa.edu.au

Cathy Turner

Pastoral Care Worker

cathy.turner255@schools.sa.edu.au