An increased awareness of our wellbeing is something most of us can’t ignore; an emphasis on nutrition, exercise, mental health and stress management are all hot topics, and have been for some time. While taking these things into consideration on a day-to-day basis might be somewhat new to adult generations, we have an opportunity to introduce our children to an awareness of their wellbeing too.
As we know, what a child is exposed to early on can inform their habits later down the line, but how can you introduce kids to wellbeing activities? In this article, we’ll explore why wellbeing activities are important for kids, and what that could look like in a way that’s fun, engaging, and, ultimately, good for them!
Kids go through a lot throughout their development, and expressing it can feel hard, particularly when their routines are busy. Wellbeing activities give kids a chance to acknowledge these feelings and give them space and language to express them.
Wellbeing activities show children that their mental health is a priority, and that attending to it can benefit their physical health as well as their enjoyment of life.
Life won’t always be plain sailing, and situations in our external world can leave our internal one in disarray. An early understanding of wellbeing arms a child with the tools they need to cope in adulthood when things don’t go to plan.
It’s well known that the natural world can vastly improve wellbeing in adults and in kids, so head out to your nearest green space or woodland, getting your kids to spot as many animals, plants and insects as you can, or task them with something of a nature bingo card. This promotes the world away from screens, focusing their minds on something calming and interesting whilst out in the fresh air too.
Being grateful for what you have, as opposed to the things you don’t have, can turn a negative, harmful attitude on its head. Encourage your child to get crafty with coloured paper and pens, writing down the things they’re grateful for to look back on at a later date.
Whilst we’re not talking about full blown meditation here (getting many children to sit still unoccupied is no easy task), but bringing children into the present moment through colouring, listening to music or making something does wonders for their wellbeing.
Getting lost in a book can open a child’s mind to different ideas, cultivating a healthy imagination, encouraging creativity, and giving them somewhere to safely escape to.
When life gets overwhelming, we all want our creature comforts, so not only can putting a box together of a child’s favourite things be fun, it can turn the day around if they don’t feel themselves.
Open a dialogue with your child about how they’re feeling feeds into that old saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ – it really is true!
The endorphins created by exercise have a great many benefits for children’s wellbeing – not to mention their physical health too.
Hobbies make us feel good, give us a focus, and can help us make friends; this is no different for kids.
Children need a helping hand in finding something that lights them up, which is something Camp Beaumont are so proud to facilitate for kids aged between 3 and 14 throughout London and the south east. Our school holiday camps, which include summer and half term camps, introduce kids to a wide variety of activities tailored to their age group, from sports to creativity and yes, even to dedicated wellbeing activities!
The staff are brilliant: enthusiastic, kind and engaged. The range of activities is great and the hours are really helpful for working parents. Most importantly our son always comes home happy and tired from a fun day.
