By Brad Krause

What exactly is self-care? It’s making time for yourself. It’s doing things that make your soul happy and keep you grounded. But many of the habits we develop for self-care are learned behaviors, so it’s important to pass those skills to your kids. Below are a few ways to encourage self-care in your children.

Lead by Example

Children learn by watching their parents. When they see that you’re relaxed and happy, they feel better, too. Teach your children the importance of self-care. Tell them about your own self-care routine, including how you exercise or what helps you relax. Also, model good habits like money management to give them a head start at a healthy financial future.

Do Things Together 

Doing things together teaches your children that self-care is important. Take walks, exercise, or cook together. Stoney Creek has a spectacular abundance of natural assets that are the perfect setting for outdoor treks, conservation activities, and cultural events that are great for families with kids.

Encourage Self-Care Throughout Their Day

Let your children know that 10 or 15 minutes of exercise before school, 10 minutes of meditation before tackling their homework, or 15 minutes of writing in a journal can help fill up their emotional tanks, which will help them deal with life’s ups and downs. These are the kinds of practices that can be extended into adulthood as well.

Interests and Hobbies

Encourage your child’s interests and hobbies, which can help them develop new skills, improve self-esteem, and encourage creativity. Schedule “me time” into your child’s day. Pencil in 15 minutes or more for an activity your child enjoys and anticipates.

Use Humor to Lighten the Mood

Encourage your child to use humor when dealing with challenging situations. When your child is upset, listen and validate those feelings, but don’t let them linger. A joke can break the mood and teach kids not to dwell on sadness. Praise your child for discovering new ways to use humor. If your child comes up with a clever joke in a difficult situation, acknowledge their creativity. This will help them deal with powerful emotions.

Build Their Confidence

The benefits of chores are many. Chores teach children about responsibility and managing money, and they help them develop self-esteem by assuming responsibility for their own little part of the household. Chores can strengthen family bonds by teaching kids to work together. They also give children a place to make mistakes without having to deal with the consequences. For example, go-karting can be a great learning environment for kids before they’re old enough to drive. Kids learn that mistakes are part of life and, with hard work and effort, they can succeed.

Affirmations and Meditation

Affirmations help children develop a positive mindset, and meditation helps them develop self-awareness, compassion, and love. When children shift their focus to the positive, they begin to experience more peace, joy, and harmony.

Take a Deep Breath

If your child is feeling upset or overwhelmed, get them to take a deep breath and concentrate on breathing in some fresh air and breathing out all the stress. Then ask them to think about something that makes them happy or makes them laugh.

Teach Gratitude

Teaching kids gratitude can be of great benefit to them. It can help them appreciate all they have, particularly in times of uncertainty. Showing gratitude can counteract negativity and nurture a positive mind. Periodic sessions where you ask your children to express what they’re grateful for is a mindfulness exercise they can use throughout their lives to keep things in perspective.

By teaching your children a little self-care, you help them build resiliency and good character.  These lessons will help your children grow into healthy adults.

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