If there's one good thing to come out of the last few years, I live in hope that maybe...just maybe it will be that we as adults are finally paying attention to the importance of promoting positive mental health in children.
Living through a pandemic really did teach us a lot about the importance of connection, as well as the importance of having tools at our disposal to manage the peaks and troughs of mental health...and of course, this is just as true for our children as it is for us.
Bad mental health days will always happen, it's a sad fact of life - but having the ability to listen and pay attention to our own needs, and find ways to meet them is invaluable. I'm a firm believer that it's a gift we should all be doing our best to pass on to our children. But of course, as with anything in life, that can be easier said than done.
How do we teach our children about mental wellbeing, and promote self-care in children...in a way that's accessible to them?
We've been trying out a really wonderful programme called Finding Robin's Rainbow which is not only a wonderful way to introduce self care and awareness of mental wellbeing to children, but is also completely free to use and lots of fun too!
Aimed at children ages 4-8, Finding Robins Rainbow is an interactive experience consisting of short and engaging videos which tell the story of best friends Willow & Robin who are separated by a house move.
The videos use green screen technology really well in order to make them colourful and engaging for children, they remind
me a lot of Blues Clues in their presentation style actually - my children really enjoyed them, in particular my 7 year old daughter who really took a liking to the characters.
There are printable activity sheets and suggestions to go along with each video, and each one leaves you with a takeaway mindfulness-style activity - so that by the end of the programme, your child has a metaphorical toolbox of mental wellbeing techniques to use when they feel the need.
The programme is designed to children connect with themselves and the world around them, using an inclusive and multi-sensory approach that allows children of all abilities to join in equally - all you need to take part is access to a screen.
Upon signing up to the Free Eventbrite page, you'll be emailed access to the videos and accompany optional printables right away - you're then free to complete the programme in your own time.
We chose to watch one video per day for a 5 day period and this worked well for my kids. As well as being engaging, the techniques that they've learned were really valuable and we have already used them since in various situations. For example, one of the videos teaches something called the Bird Hug which my daughter really liked - we've used this since when she's needed to calm her emotions, and it's worked really well.
I'd highly recommend Finding Robins Rainbow to anybody who is keen to promote positive mental wellbeing in their children and open up conversations about important topics like feelings and emotions. It would make for a really lovely summer holiday activity and it's completely free!
You can find out more at www.outsideintheatre.co.uk/portfolio/finding-robins-rainbow or sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/finding-robins-rainbow-tickets-347865634477?keep_tld=1
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