5 Ways to Support Your Child’s Mental Health this School Year

It’s that time of year again!  Time to get school supplies, meet your child’s teachers and friends, and get organized for the school year ahead.

During this time, it’s also important to prioritize our children’s mental health.  HealthDay News reported that one in every seven American kids between the ages of 5 - 17 years of age have participated in mental health treatment in 2021. The transition back to school can be exciting and positively stimulating, however, it can also pose mental health challenges for young people. 

This school year, lets us empower our children by equipping them with tools to plan effectively, manage stress, and communicate their needs. 

Here are 5 ways to support your child’s mental health this school year:

1. Focus on Balance

Balance is a lifelong journey. Develop a calendar with your child or teen that identifies extracurricular activities, projects, and social events.  Set the expectation that these events must go into the calendar and plan for regular check-ins when you can look at the calendar together and discuss deadlines. Keeping up with an organized calendar can reduce stress and anxiety. 

2. Foster Healthy Independence

Focus on identifying a balance between supporting your child and encouraging independence by allowing your child to manage many of their school tasks. Allowing your child to experience the feeling of failure is a valuable learning opportunity.  This will build resiliency and sharpen problem-solving skills. Additionally, allowing them to handle certain conflicts on their own can build their confidence. Consider allowing your teen to take the lead in most communications with teachers.

3. Prioritize a Healthy Lifestyle

Sleep is critical for a healthy lifestyle.  Limiting screen time before bed can help promote healthy sleep.  Work with your child’s coaches and extracurricular activities to make sure your child gets adequate downtime for sleep.  Additionally, healthy meals and snacks, coupled with regular exercise can ensure healthy mental health. 

4. Discuss Goals & Expectations

Open communication with your child is imperative.  Discuss school expectations around school work, time spent on technology, and household expectations.  Allow your child to take ownership by setting their own negative consequences for not meeting these discussed expectations. By setting these expectations in advance can create a more harmonious home environment during the school year. 

5. Checkin About Back To School Anxiety

Anxiety around going back to school is common and normal.  Parents can help alleviate some of that anxiety by initiating contact with teachers and school staff.  Building these connections preemptively can develop a supportive school community. Additionally, encourage your child to independently take steps to connect with their teachers and school staff to build healthy relationships and ask for support. Role playing difficult scenarios with your child can help them feel more confident navigating social interactions and seeking support. 

Prioritizing your child’s mental health this school year will ensure a fulfilling school year. If you are concerned about your child’s mental health, and need help with some of these steps, seek out psychoeducation from a mental health professional. They can support your family and identify the next steps.  Early intervention and support can help your child learn strategies and skills to manage their mental health. 

About Vaughn Greene Funeral Services: For more than 25 years, Vaughn Greene Funeral Services has been providing a ministry of care to Baltimore’s African American community. As a leading local, minority- and family-owned provider, we promise to provide our highest level of service and respect to families who entrust us to honor their loved ones. For more information about our funeral, cremation, memorial, repast, and grief counseling services, please call us at 410.655.0015 or visit us online at https://vaughncgreene.com/.

Leslie Holley, MA, LCPC, LPC, NCC is the owner of Healing-Circle, LLC. She is a Nationally Certified Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and an experienced presenter on mental health topics. We are honored to have Leslie help support our families needing grief support or hope and healing.

Sources:

• https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-06-13/nearly-15-of-school-age-children-in-u-s-have-received-mental-health-treatment
• https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html