Kids feeling moody? Reach for these coping skills
June 21, 2023
This paid piece is sponsored by Sanford Health.
Do your kids understand how choices impact their health? Learning about emotions and practicing mindfulness is a great way of helping them to regulate their mood and improve their experiences.
However, there’s more to it when it comes to making healthy decisions. Sanford Fit’s learning platform separates the idea of whole body health into four pillars of wellness that help your child develop lifelong healthy habits.
Motivate your mood
With so much going on in the world, it’s important for kids to understand their feelings and emotions. Educating your kids on how to identify their feelings, as well as coping strategies to apply when in need, will benefit them greatly at home and at school.
Sanford Fit has many simple and effective resources like the “How I Feel” printable that challenges children to identify how they feel, why they feel that way and then to brainstorm a few things they can do to motivate their moods. Walk through this activity with your kids or encourage them to use it on their own when they need to work through those strong feelings and emotions.
Teach your child other positive ways to deal with strong feelings:
- Take deep breaths.
- Talk to a grown-up.
- Squeeze playdough.
- Hug a stuffed animal.
- Count to 10.
- Move or stretch your body.
- Color or draw a picture.
Empowering children with decision-making skills gives them the chance to practice making positive decisions and equips them to make healthy decisions in the future.
Of course, not all decisions are positive. Part of learning how to make thoughtful and healthy decisions is allowing children to make poor ones. This gives them the opportunity to learn from the experience and make better decisions in the future.
So remember: Stop and think about your energy and mood, then make a healthy choice.
