We can all agree that the worldwide lockdowns have impacted mental health. You only have to look at the statistics relating to mental health to get a picture of how difficult things are for people. As adults, it can be easy to express how we are feeling; however, with children, it can be a little bit more difficult. The tips below are to help you help your children to express their emotions.

Check Your Own Behavior

Children often mimic how their parents behave and act. It is important, therefore to express how you are feeling in a calm way so your children get to understand that it is okay to be sad at times. They also don’t often have the words to express how they are feeling so use words they understand, such as you are feeling sad or you are feeling anxious. Doing this will encourage your child to take the space they need to express their own feelings. 

Be Empathetic

Your child may be feeling very emotional so take the time to respond with empathy. This means using a calm tone when talking to your child and getting down to their eye level. Making them feel safe and saying you understand how they are feeling will help to calm them down.

Use Art

Crafts for kids and hobbies are a great way to engage your children. These can help you connect and ask them to draw a picture of how they are feeling. Setting aside time to undertake this work is essential to allow them to space to play and for you to have an input into the conversation. Purchasing specific notebooks is an excellent way of keeping their work together, so you can come back to it if you both need to. You can buy notebooks in places like this: https://nottai.com/personalized-notebooks/. 

A Safe Environment 

Ensure you create the right environment for your child to express their feelings. There is no point in asking them when you are a bit stressed or having to make dinner. Find the right time and the right place, and ensure you give your child your undivided attention.

Solutions

Even young children can find solutions to how they are feeling. Talk them through how they can solve the issue of how they are feeling, ask them open-ended questions, suggest solutions but let them make the decision on what the answer is and what they would like to do about it. This will promote resilience to deal with future issues.