Advice for Parents – Helping your child to feel ‘Nurtured’
Information to help you in keeping your child feeling nurtured
Being nurtured means that we feel cared for and important, and that our environment provides us opportunities and room to grow and develop. While routine and structure are always helpful, flexibility, creativity and tolerance are even more important right now, given our current circumstances The Covid 19 Five a Day link provides further information.
More than anything else, it’s important that children (and adults) are feeling safe and happy as we negotiate this unusual, and uncertain time together. Children tend to take their lead from the adults around them so don’t forget to take care of yourself! Mindful practices as suggested on Headspace and Childmind can be helpful during stressful times for your wellbeing. Key elements to think about as you plan your day (and your child’s) include having fun, taking time and space for yourself, developing kindness (to you and others), spending time interacting with others, and staying positive
Opportunities to connect and share with trusted others is key and conversation can be a great way of enhancing learning. You will find some ideas on the Video chatting to grandparents and grandchildren link. Finding even small ways that children and young people can contribute to others is also a good way of building their sense of accomplishment and keeping them connected to others.
Try to use positive language. Talk about what we CAN do to look after ourselves, our families and our communities. We can stay in our houses, we can go for a walk each day, we can wash our hands regularly, we can keep in touch with friends and families with phones/technology, we can do our school work from home etc. rather than focusing on the things we CAN’T do.
Try to make having fun and playing a priority in your day where you can as we know how important this is for children’s development. Do what you can with home schooling but don’t worry about trying to replicate a complete school day or a full curriculum. If we can find a way to view this time as an opportunity to develop some new skills, both in ourselves and in our children, that’s even better. Joining your child in their play can reduce the challenges of trying to get them to join you in your task. Please visit Bright Horizons for more ideas.
If you find yourself becoming frustrated, or see this in your children, it’s helpful to remember that unexpected reactions, irritability and boredom are common and to be expected, given that our movements and activities are unnaturally curtailed. Childmind offers advice and support to families. Understanding and kindness to others (and towards yourself!) might be all that is needed. Remember that even though fall outs are probably inevitable at this time, it is the making up and mending of relationships that’s the important part of relationships.
