The Power of Daily Mental Health Check-Ins: Cultivating Emotional Intelligence & Resilience
Daily mental health check-ins provide a safe space for open conversations between parents and children. Engaging daily check-ins with your child not only strengthens the bond between parent and child but also cultivates emotional intelligence and self-awareness in young minds.
These conversations can be integrated into daily routines, such as on the way home from school, during meals, or before bedtime. Daily check-ins ensures that children feel consistently supported and understood in their everyday experiences.
Try asking your child these questions:
What was the best part of your day?
What was the hardest part of your day?
What is something you are looking forward to?
What is something you did well today?
What is something I can help you with?
Today’s Exercise
Use the questions above to have a quick mental health check-in with your child. You can start with just one or two and add more as you go. As they are talking, listen attentively, validate their experience, and if necessary, work collaboratively to find a solution.
Resources
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
"How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish is a seminal parenting guide that offers effective communication strategies for fostering respectful and nurturing relationships between parents and children.
Grounded in the principles of cooperation and mutual respect, the book provides practical techniques for parents to engage with their children in a manner that validates their feelings, avoids common pitfalls of communication breakdowns, and encourages emotional growth.
The authors advocate for a compassionate, empathetic approach, emphasizing the importance of active listening and offering tools like descriptive praise, expressing feelings without attacking, and setting clear limits.
The techniques not only aid in everyday interactions but also help in navigating challenging situations, ensuring that children feel heard, understood, and valued.