With limited activities and social visits available for kids across the province right now, it’s no wonder we are hearing from a lot of parents concerned about keeping the kids busy over the school winter break. This was a question that came up several times in our recent live chat with child and youth mental health workers.
As if this time of year isn’t hard enough already!
To help you prepare for a winter break that supports your family’s mental wellness, Children’s Mental Health Ontario is sharing five tips for your family, children, and youth.
During our recent Twitter Chat, we asked the #kidscantwait community what advice/ tips they had for other families struggling with mental wellness over the holidays. We incorporated many of their responses into this post.
- Get outdoors
Staying active will help your child’s mental health this winter. Don’t let the snow keep you indoors all the time. Many winter traditions are still feasible while adhering to social distancing guidelines from going on walks to skiing and skating. To date, it looks like skating rinks will remain open.
Playing in the snow, building a snowman, and tobogganing are great ways to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy the limited sunlight hours over the winter season. Planning outdoor scavenger hunts for children is also a good way to get their minds and bodies active after a long day of being indoors.
- Maintain connections
Families and friends will be looking to new methods to connect over the holiday season. Make use of technology and schedule group calls, virtual play dates, and one-on-one phone calls to remain in contact with people who do not live in your household. Scheduling drive-by visits is another way to see your loved ones safely and feel connected with your support system.
- Start new traditions
Use this time as an opportunity to start new winter traditions. For example, it could be something simple like sharing a new snack with your children or getting out your art-and-craft supplies (even simple things like paint and toilet paper roles sure go along way with little ones!) This is an opportunity to create drawings and artwork that can be given as holiday gifts or put together and stored in a scrapbook to create lifelong memories of a really extraordinary time in our lives.
- Check in
Make sure to take time to check in on children and acknowledge their feelings during this time. If they are feeling isolated, what activities can you recommend? Creating a consistent schedule over the winter break may also create comfort. Involve your family in the planning and display the schedule in visible area like the kitchen fridge. This creates an opportunity for children and youth to help plan and acknowledge any worries they have. Planning ahead can also mean that families can set time aside and enjoy fun activities together including movie night, board games, and reading books.
- Take time to recharge
The colder temperatures mean that more families will be staying indoors. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself – unplug and be in the moment, journal, read a book under a cozy blanket. You can include your children in these activities and write weekly stories together that you can look back on together one day.
With all of the extra pressures of the holiday, please remember that Children’s Mental Health Ontario is here to help. Children’s Mental Health Ontario has a network of more than 4,000 child and youth mental health professionals across the province, ready to support you and your children. We are here to support your entire family’s mental health and help you through these difficult times.
