Hi Parents -
As we all venture into new territory during these next few weeks I wanted to connect with a few ways of help us all stay mentally and emotionally healthy during these times of social distancing and isolation, and a great big shake up of our regular routines.
Here is a picture of my mug of choice these days:
Everyone is in this together. We are all feeling the stress, anxiety and uncertainty.
Here is an excellent link I came across about talking to your kids about the virus:
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource
Also, let's try to "see the good" and show ourselves grace during this time. It is overwhelming. Our kids pick up on our cues, so the more mentally well we as their loving adults can be, the better they will fare through this all.
Here are some of my own thoughts as ways to try to make the best of things:
1) Practice Gratitude - this is enormous during hard times. Every day share as a family something each of you are thankful for or something good that happened that day. These can be the smallest of things.
2) Spend time doing things with your kids that our busy lives don't usually allow for - meals together where no one is rushing off to an activity, playing that long board game, doing a puzzle, reading books aloud together, sort the Lego, teach them how to cook their favourite meal - be creative!
3) CONNECT! Feeling closeness with their parents/care-givers is important for kids' well-being right now. Focus on connecting together. Your kids will also be missing their friends. If you have contact with the parent of one of your child's friends, see if you can maybe arrange the occasional FaceTime or email messaging, or good old school letter-writing.
4) Every family will do things differently - and that's okay!! If other parents seem to be mastering the school-from-home thing better than you don't sweat it. Do the best you can, but also what works best for you, your individual children and your situation. This is not a time we want to be adding unnecessary stress and pressure on ourselves.
5) Basic healthy practices are always good for our overall well-being - eating nutritiously, staying active, getting fresh air, and adequate sleep are all things that make a huge impact on our health - physically, mentally and emotionally.
Please don't hesitate to send me an email at tklassen@hsd.ca if you would like further guidance on supporting your kids who might be struggling with feeling anxious right now. Feel free to post comments on what your family is doing to connect - we can share ideas together.
Sending all our school families my very best.
As we all venture into new territory during these next few weeks I wanted to connect with a few ways of help us all stay mentally and emotionally healthy during these times of social distancing and isolation, and a great big shake up of our regular routines.
Here is a picture of my mug of choice these days:
Everyone is in this together. We are all feeling the stress, anxiety and uncertainty.
Here is an excellent link I came across about talking to your kids about the virus:
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource
Also, let's try to "see the good" and show ourselves grace during this time. It is overwhelming. Our kids pick up on our cues, so the more mentally well we as their loving adults can be, the better they will fare through this all.
Here are some of my own thoughts as ways to try to make the best of things:
1) Practice Gratitude - this is enormous during hard times. Every day share as a family something each of you are thankful for or something good that happened that day. These can be the smallest of things.
2) Spend time doing things with your kids that our busy lives don't usually allow for - meals together where no one is rushing off to an activity, playing that long board game, doing a puzzle, reading books aloud together, sort the Lego, teach them how to cook their favourite meal - be creative!
3) CONNECT! Feeling closeness with their parents/care-givers is important for kids' well-being right now. Focus on connecting together. Your kids will also be missing their friends. If you have contact with the parent of one of your child's friends, see if you can maybe arrange the occasional FaceTime or email messaging, or good old school letter-writing.
4) Every family will do things differently - and that's okay!! If other parents seem to be mastering the school-from-home thing better than you don't sweat it. Do the best you can, but also what works best for you, your individual children and your situation. This is not a time we want to be adding unnecessary stress and pressure on ourselves.
5) Basic healthy practices are always good for our overall well-being - eating nutritiously, staying active, getting fresh air, and adequate sleep are all things that make a huge impact on our health - physically, mentally and emotionally.
Please don't hesitate to send me an email at tklassen@hsd.ca if you would like further guidance on supporting your kids who might be struggling with feeling anxious right now. Feel free to post comments on what your family is doing to connect - we can share ideas together.
Sending all our school families my very best.
Comments
Post a Comment