Family Support and Wellbeing during COVID

COVID19 information including family support and wellbeing tips

 

Family Support for everyone:

COVID-19 is having an impact on everyone’s daily lives. By following the guidelines on social distancing and staying at home you’re helping to protect yourself, family, NHS, and community, but a consequence might be that you feel isolated, worried, and anxious, or you could be concerned about your health, or the health of others.

In these uncertain times it’s important to take care of your mind as well as your body, and to make sure you get any support that you need.

Below are some links for the whole family to great practical advice for staying at home and taking care of your mental health and wellbeing.

 

Thurrock Local Authority support during Coronavirus pandemic:

During the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), Thurrock Councils priority is the health, safety and well-being of our residents, businesses and staff.

Please click on the link below to see how Thurrock Local Authority can help/ support you and your family during this difficult and challenging time

Thurrock Support during Coronavirus

 

Coronavirus and your wellbeing

 

 

Exercise

This releases chemicals, in your body, like endorphins and serotonin that help to improve your mood. If you exercise regularly, it can reduce your stress and symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

  • Cosmic Kids  A great website full of videos that make Yoga fun for everyone.
  • Go Noodle  Go Noodle gets children up and moving to fun, engaging content and games. It allows children to wake up their bodies as well as engaging their minds.
  • BBC Super Movers  These are videos that will get your child up and moving, and they are linked to the curriculum. The can also be selected based on which key stage your child is in.
  • Joe Wicks Daily PE Lesson   While the schools are closed to some children, the famous exercise guru Joe Wicks is running a live PE lesson every week day at 9am from his YouTube channel. (As of January 2021 – This will be every Monday, Wednesday & Friday)

 

Meditation

This can help children to regulate their emotions, thereby having fewer meltdowns, reduce their impulsivity and improve concentration and focus.

 

Meditation

Meditation can help – please see the links below for some useful suggestions:

  • New Horizon: Kids Meditation  Struggling to get the kids to sleep? Allow these relaxing Sleep Stories, Guided Meditations and purposely-designed Sleep Meditations to get your little ones off to a perfect nights rest (also a free app that can be downloaded).

 

Mindfulness

Mindfulness colouring is a relaxing and calming activity which can also encourage children to explore their creativity while improving fine motor skills.

 

 

Self-esteem

Self-esteem helps children cope with mistakes and build their resilience. It helps them try again, even if they fail at first. As a result, self-esteem will help them do better at school, at home, and with friends. Children with low self-esteem feel unsure of themselves, so improving self-esteem, improves confidence.

 

Hygiene

Important now more than ever but educating children on good hygiene is the best way to avoid the spread of infection and disorders; teaching the principles of correct hygiene at an early age can help keep individuals healthy in later life, and be taught to future generations.

  • Hygiene Activities  Great list of fun, engaging and exciting hygiene themed activities to do with children, particularly for younger children.
  • Food Hygiene  There are some free food hygiene worksheets here for KS1 and KS2.
  • Hygiene & Health Games  This website will give you links to a variety of resources that link to hygiene and health. For example; personal hygiene, staying fit, nutrition, human body.

 

Nutrition and Diet

Eating a nutritious diet helps you keep a healthy body. It also helps reduce your risk of developing some chronic diseases. New research finds that your food choices may also affect your mood and mental health. This is sometimes called the “food-mood connection.”

  • Food Facts   Lots of free resources that teach children where food comes from, hot to cooking and about healthy eating. There are also some lovely recipes on here if you are struggling for ideas with meals.

 

Self-care

Self-care is about the things that we can do to look after our own mental health.

  • Self-care Tips A variety of activities that will help you and your child to manage your wellbeing.
  • Calm Zone  Plenty of breathing exercise, activities, games and videos to help let go of stress.
  • Self-care Journal  You can set your child up with a free account where they can keep an online mood journal, along with plenty of other self-care activities

 

Reflection

Personal reflection allows us to grow as human beings. It allows us to review what we have already done and think about targets and goals we would like for ourselves.

Children could keep a diary to write down their thoughts, feelings and emotions. They may even want to add newspaper articles about the current situation, as they are experiencing a unique moment in history.

This can be used to make sense of new emotions and uncertainty. This is an unusual time in our history and hopefully will not be repeated in our generation, so use this diary not only for our wellbeing but also as a memento of this time.

 

Helping the local community

This helps to create stronger communities that are concerned with the well-being of each and every individual and creates a happier society for all.

 

Writing letters to family members that we cannot see or even the people who are currently isolated in our local care homes. It will allow the children to practise their letter writing skills as well as put a smile on someone else’s face.

 

Gardening

Gardening is educational and develops new skills including: Responsibility – from caring for plants. Understanding – as they learn about cause and effect (for example, plants die without water, weeds compete with plants) Self-confidence – from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown.

Please also look at the Outdoor Learning page of our website for some outdoor, well-being activities.

  • Garden Activities         Fun activities for families to learn together, while encouraging love for nature

List of free resources for home educating published by the DfE