When we think of self care many of us think about a quiet bath with a cheeky glass of wine and maybe a magazine or book. Sure, as busy mums that’s a pretty nice idea, isn’t it? But the reality is that aside from time alone, we all need to consider some self care ideas that can truly make a difference in our kids lives. That’s why we have compiled this post to share with you some self care ideas for kids. We hope you enjoy them and put them into practice.
Self care ideas for kids
There are various aspects of self care – some popular ones are physical, emotional, spirtual, and social. All of those aspects give your child the sense of wholeness they need.
Physical self care for kids
One of the things many kids resist is the need for sleep. How many times have you seen your overtired child rub their eyes but then have a tantrum as soon as you suggest having a rest? Believe me, I didn’t make that mistake often!
Whether they want to accept it or not, they need rest. So focusing on a way where they can tend to their need for sleep is a must. One idea is to, for example, plan a film night. I can almost guarantee you that if they have a bath, and are relaxed in bed with the light of they will end up dozing off at a reasonable time, thus catching up on that well needed sleep.
Another aspect of physical self care for kids is healthy food. Giving your kids healthy and nutritious food is essential for their bodies to function properly. We know that it’s not that simple, so check out these ideas from our site:
Emotional self care for kids
Emotional self care for kids can be a bit of a varied category, but because of that it is easier to adapt to our kids individual needs. How do we help our kids to value emotional self care?
There are many ways. For example, we can teach them compassion, kindness, and ways to manage and regulate their emotions. We have compiled some ideas below for you to check out.
Here are some other ideas to help children to understand and cope with their feelings and emotions.
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Writing prompts for children that focus on feelings, and emotional development.
31 Days Of Learning
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Friendship mindful activity for kids: Friends who lift my spirits most
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Spiritual self care for kids
Spiritual self care can mean different things for different families. If your family is a family of faith then you will have your own interpretation. We think that’s wonderful and leave that in your capable hands! What we will discuss with you though are other aspects of how to nurture your kids spirit.
One very important thing for us as humans is time alone, that also includes kids. Especially if there are other kids in the family or even when your kids are multiples. Each child needs to have some time alone to play, read, or just be in peace. But another important thing that kids need, is time alone with you. If you have more than one child, or even if you don’t, with life being so busy we can easily get caught up and neglect one on one time with our kids. This time alone is crucial for your kids spiritual health as it can help them feel connected and it gives them a safe space to share their thoughts, feelings, and even worries.
Spending time outdoors and in nature is also an act of spiritual self care and is sure to nourish your kids’ and your spirit! Check out some more ideas below:
Outdoors ideas for kids
Here are a few more ideas to get you out and about with the kids...!
Getting active with the kids
We've given you four good reasons to get active - so now - how can you do it?!?!
Social self care for kids
You may think that social and self care shouldn’t go in the same sentence. It may sound contradictory but social self care is basically teaching your kids the tools for caring for themselves in social situations.
Think of this, your child is in a difficult situation with bullies. Of course, we don’t want that to happen to our kids, but the better equipped they are with the social skills to manage and defuse those situations the more autonomous they will be.
If your children knows how to have others respect their boundaries and can ask for help when needed then you’ll always be confident that they can practice self care in social situations.
What do you think of these tips? We hope that they have helped! If you enjoyed them, then why not subscribe to our newsletter?
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Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!