THE WELLNESS CORNER
Growing Healthy Coping Strategies
It’s been a wonderful first month for me at Grammar! Starting something new has reminded me how even positive change comes with challenges. Transitions, uncertainty, stress and emotional ups and downs are all part of life. For our students, learning how to adapt and cope is a vital life skill - one that develops with support, modelling, explicit teaching and lots of practice.
Healthy coping strategies are tools we collect for our toolkit over time. For younger children, their ability to organise, self-regulate, and make sense of big feelings is still developing - sometimes they need to borrow our tools while they create their own.
All emotions are valid and temporary. When children learn there are many ways to respond to what they feel, they build resilience and confidence. Creating a “toolkit” of strategies helps them feel more equipped to handle life’s tricky moments.
Here are some simple ideas for helping your child grow their toolkit.
Raising Healthy Minds
The Raising Healthy Minds app is a free, personalised, pocket resource to help parents and carers raise confident, resilient children. Co-designed with parents and experts and funded by the Australian Government, Raising Healthy Minds aims to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing with evidence-based information.
You’ll find information on topics like dealing with worries and making friends, as well as ideas for day-to-day life, like creating family routines, looking after yourself as a parent, and building strong relationships.
The app offers a mix of quick-read articles, videos and animations aimed at parents and carers of children aged 0-12 years. You can tailor information to the age of your child and opt in to receive helpful tips.
Raising Healthy Minds provides simple-to-use information at your fingertips with clear actions you can start today.
Download from Google Play or the App Store or go to raisingchildren.net.au/rhm to learn more and raise a healthy mind.
With care.
School Psychologist | Clinical Psychologist