Their Voice Matters

Celebrating Children’s Mental Health Week 2024!
This year’s theme is ‘My Voice Matters’.

When children are given agency, encouraged to express themselves and make choices, it not only fosters a sense of autonomy but also strengthens their trust and attachment with the adults in their lives. Feeling heard and valued helps children develop their self-esteem, confidence, and self-worth, and empowers them to have a voice

🫶 Value their Play: Encouraging self-directed play allows children to explore and express themselves, fostering a sense of empowerment and acceptance. Play is key to their wellbeing! It is also important for children to know there are many ways in which they can express themselves. Drawing, reading, writing, meditating, dancing or music can be powerful outlets for emotions and thoughts.

🫶 Listen: Listening actively and supporting without judgment ensures children feel valued and secure, vital for building strong attachments and trust. Ensure they know they have a safe space at home or with you. If you listen even to the little things they’ll know they can come to you for the bigger issues too!

🫶 Choices: Allow children to make decisions appropriate for their age. This builds trust in their abilities and encourages responsibility. Giving children choices, like what to wear or help with what to eat, nurtures their self-esteem, autonomy and decision-making skills.

🫶 Emotions: Help younger children name their feelings and identify where they feel it. For instance, some children might feel hot if embarrassed and some children might feel “butterflies” in their tummy if anxious. Understanding emotions and having an adult who is able to acknowledge, relate and co-regulate with them is key. In fact these are the first steps in helping children learn what tools and strategies they can use to manage their emotions effectively and being able to express them.