Tips & Ideas to Help Your Child Navigate Difficult Times
Photo by Zhivko Minkov on Unsplash
Stressful times can be challenging to navigate, and children do not always have the words to express their feelings. Children are prone to demonstrate maladaptive behaviors during hard times; regression is a normal part of development. Regression can look like increased separation anxiety, withdrawal, tantrums, potty accidents, disrupted sleep, and more. Children are perceptive, and they feel the effects of change. Here are some ways to help your child navigate difficult times.
Use Validation to Help Children Navigate Difficult Times
Children do not always know what they are feeling or how to communicate it. This is an excellent opportunity for parents to teach them. First, reflect their feeling to them and validate their emotion. “You look sad” or “It feels upsetting when you fight with your brother.” These are excellent ways to encourage communication, and let them know you are there.
Check-in Three Times Per Day
Setting aside a few minutes three times a day can be helpful for yourself and your child. This short time to connect can help create a stronger bond with your child and will teach them how to slow down their day and connect to themselves. During these moments, you can breathe together, tell each other how you feel, or use grounding exercises to become aware of the present moment.
Model Behavior
Modeling behavior is one of the best ways to teach children healthy coping skills, so parents and caregivers, take care of yourself! Be aware of how you are feeling and determine what you need. Take care of your own needs and demonstrate healthy habits to your kids.
Routines
Routines create predictability- which makes an environment feel safe for a child. Routines also help decrease negative behaviors. Together, come up with routines for the morning or night that your child can look forward to, like reading a book before bed or taking a walk at the same time each day.
Additional Resources to Help Your Child When They’re Struggling
If you’ve tried all of the above suggestions to help your child who is struggling and they aren’t showing improvement, it may be time for therapy. Contact Wasatch Family Therapy to schedule your initial appointment with one of our compassionate and professional therapists by calling or texting 801.944.4555.
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*This article was previously written by an intern and has been updated by the Wasatch Family Therapy team.
