Quick Tips On Helping Your Child To Thrive

”Quick Tips On Helping Your Child To Thrive” is a collaborative post. Please see the disclosure page for more information. Disclaimer – always verify medical information with your doctor or a professional.

As parents, we all want what’s best for our children. We not only want them to survive this wild ride that is life, but we want them to thrive in the world too. With that in mind, here are some important things parents can do to help their children flourish:

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Model Desirable Behavior

Kids aren’t born knowing how to behave well. They don’t automatically understand social norms or healthy ways of getting through life – they learn that stuff from you. That’s why it’s so important that you exhibit the kind of behavior you want them to exhibit too. Of course, no one’s perfect, and you won’t get it right all of the time, but if you’re mindful and try your best, your children will benefit.

Get Them Help

Sometimes, our kids struggle with issues that we just aren’t equipped to help them with. When this happens, it’s important to seek help. For example, if your child is exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, having them see a therapist may be helpful, or if your child is struggling to read and write, checking out some dyslexia resources could be useful. You don’t have to do it all alone and sometimes getting help is the best thing you can do with your kids. And if you have problems getting the help you need from one provider or school, find a different doctor or school. It took 3 schools before we found the amazing elementary school we are at now for my son with high functioning autism. It was frustrating to say the least, but this momma bear fought until I got him the help he needed. And in finding this school for my oldest, my youngest has also been helped after starting school and finding out he had some speech problems. I thought something might have been wrong and the teachers called me for an appointment about it before I had even mentioned it to them. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to be your children’s advocate and ignore the cranky people that say you are being overprotective or a helicopter mom. You are your child’s best ally.

Have a Good Work/Life Balance

Okay, so your kids don’t go to work, but they do go to school and maybe they do a few extracurricular activities, right? This is an important part of them growing up and learning about the world, and it should be encouraged, but you should not over schedule your kids. Maintain a healthy balance between school and academic activities and fun and family time and they won’t get stressed or end up with an unhealthy attitude to life as they get older.

Encourage Activity

Being physically active is so important for kids. Encouraging them to go for walks, play on their scooter or ride their bike will ensure that they associate active time with fun time and that will do them well in the future.

Listen to Them

Listening to your children, like really listening to them, is one of the greatest gifts you can give them as a parent. It will show them that they are an important part of the world – your world. This will help ensure that, should they experience any difficulties in life, they will come to you for help instead of keeping it to themselves. Tips for listening is to put down your phone. If they are little it sometimes helps to kneel down or sit on the floor so you are eye level with them. Turn off all distractions so they know they matter to you.

Give Them Responsibility

Giving your children an appropriate level of responsibility is a good way to show them you trust them, and to get them used to being someone who takes their obligations seriously. Taking care of a pet or being responsible for their own allowances is a great way to do this. However, never give them a responsibility they aren’t ready for as that could do more harm than good. I’ve been giving them different responsibilities as they grow. When they were little, their chore chart was just pictures and them doing things like brushing their teeth or somewhat straightening their bed in the morning. These were on a board in chronological order so when they got up in the morning they could visually see pictures of what they needed to do. Now they are nearing middle school, I have a summer time chore chart (with chores written) that is laminated for them to follow and check off each day with a dry erase marker. During the school year, they know their main focus is homework, projects, putting away clean dishes, once a week cleaning bathrooms and common areas, and bringing dirty cloths to the laundry room. These are just things that work in our house. Research chores for your kids’ ages and decide what works for your house.

Set Goals with Them

They may be kids, but there will be things they want to do and goals they want to achieve, so sit down with them and work them out. Then, facilitate them in meeting their aims. This will give them lots of meaning in life and offer you an excellent opportunity to bond with your kids. My kids aren’t the most motivated people. They want to be home most days and they are still young so I don’t force them into trying to solve world hunger or getting drafted for the NFL. LOL But I do make them participate in rock climbing twice a week and have a goal to make 5-10 climbs each time we go. I want them to learn discipline and work ethic in accomplishing a goal even though they don’t want to be leaving the house twice a week for rock climbing. I’m hoping to build character and work ethic but even so, it’s a great way to get them active and out of the house a day or two.

These are just a couple quick tips to help your child thrive. You know your children best. Find our what works in your home and be sure to be their biggest fan! Your love is the most important part of being their parent.