Reclaim Healthy Childhood
Updated: Oct 15, 2018
One of our goals at Sea Star Village is to bring together different generations in a conversation about what makes for a healthy childhood. We want to gather and share the wisdom of grandparents, new parents, college students, teenagers, teachers, and health care professionals - all of whom can shed light on the mental health crisis occurring now among children, adolescents, and college students. It will take a village working together to reclaim healthy childhood.
Today I want to add the voice of Victoria Prooday, an Occupational Therapist based in Canada, to our conversation. Last year she wrote about the current crisis on her blog and offered many practical suggestions that align beautifully with what we model and teach in our own Parent & Child classes. Here are some of her recommendations:
Spend one hour a day in green space: biking, hiking, fishing, watching birds/insects.
Have a daily technology-free family dinner.
Involve your child in one chore a day (folding laundry, tidying up toys, hanging clothes, unpacking groceries, setting the table, etc.)
Offer kids a well-balanced lifestyle filled with what kids NEED, not just what they WANT. Don’t be afraid to say “No!” to your kids if what they want is not what they need.
Implement a consistent sleep routine to ensure that your child gets lots of sleep in a technology-free bedroom.
Don’t over-protect them from small failures. It trains them in the skills needed to overcome greater life’s challenges.
Teach delayed gratification and provide opportunities for “boredom” as boredom is the time when creativity awakens.
Click on the link below for the full blog post.
https://yourot.com/parenting-club/2017/5/24/what-are-we-doing-to-our-children