Cultivating Wellness
December 2020
Tips, Encouragement, and Support for Parents and Educators
While schools focus on the how-to of academics, this monthly newsletter aims to emphasize support, encouragement, and connection to optimal mental health and wellness. The goal is to share tips and strategies that are simple enough to incorporate into an already full plate.
At the very least, this newsletter is a regular reminder that we are in this together. We are all human and are all desperate for small successes and even more in need of worthwhile connection.
The Power of Choices
Can you imagine living in a world where you were told what to do all day long? What to eat, what to wear, where to go, where to sit, etc. We all like to have some level of control of what we do throughout the day. So do our kids!
Giving our children choices is one of the most effective and simple tools we can use. There are many benefits to this simple technique. When we give choices we are giving children the ability to have some control and minimize power struggles and tantrums. Choices build confidence in the ability to make decisions and helps develop problem solving skills. Choices can even empower our children, making them and their opinion feel valued.
Key Components on how to effectively provide choice:
- Provide your child with limited options, Ideally 2 or 3
- Make sure you are ok with any choice they choose
- Do not make one option a punishment
Here are some examples of reasonable choices:
- Do you want to do your homework in the office or at the dining table?
- What vegetable would you like to eat for dinner broccoli, carrots or green beans?
- Do you want to put on your pajamas or brush your teeth first?
To read more about choices:
https://www.mother.ly/child/benefits-of-giving-child-choices