Structure your family's day for wellbeing

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Pre-Coronavirus, many families around the country struggled with over-scheduled days. Between school and work, sports, and extra-curricular activities, we’d rush through it all and fall into bed at night with the feeling of not quite having gotten everything done… only to get up the next morning and start again. These days however, we may be feeling the opposite issue: an undefined amount of time at home, with few external requirements to structure it. By afternoon, kids and adults alike can feel grumpy from too much sitting, screens, and stagnation.

In both cases, more balance would make our kids (and us) feel better. Read on to learn how to structure your family’s day by activities that support mental and physical well-being.

WHAT’S GOING ON?

Every activity we do impacts our mood and sense of wellbeing in one way or another. As adults we know this from experience, yet we may still sometimes have trouble using it as a guide to, say, exercise when we’re feeling grouchy, or call an old friend when we’re feeling lonely. Children have less mindful awareness of their mental states, and often need help making the transition to an activity that will energize them.

Try planning your family's days and weeks with the aim to balance your wellbeing needs, rather than solely meeting external schedules and to-do lists. The following types of activities should be included in a mood balancing schedule:

Physical exercise – Daily physical activity is essential to our kiddos. It has physical benefits (heart health, weight maintenance, and more), mental health benefits (relieves stress, releases endorphins, and improves self-regulation), and even cognitive benefits (improved memory and cognitive function).
Cognitive exercise – Like exercising our bodies, exercising our brains with the right challenge inherently feels good. Reading, working on a puzzle, or learning something new can activate curiosity and novelty; lead to the flow state; and satisfy the inherent drive for growth, problem-solving and achievement.
Connection – Belonging is another fundamental human need. Being and doing things with family and friends boosts mood in the short term, and leads to overall quality of life and health over the long term.
Free play – During unstructured play time, kids exercise their core needs of autonomy and competence. They make choices, pursue interests, problem solve, and activate their imagination and creativity, all of which are all important for mental wellbeing and long term development.
Contribution - Helping out releases satisfying feelings of being competent, needed, responsible, and part of the team.

And, you get an added bonus if one or more of them happens outside, as being outside has further mood-boosting benefits.

As you can see, several of these attributes can often be combined into one activity, like playing a game outside with friends, or helping a parent with the gardening.

How does this apply to your child?

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