PCACS@Home - Family wellbeing Resources

PCACS@HOME Family Wellbeing Resources

2020

Staying home with children for the holidays without being able to go away, visit the zoo or have an outing to the movies might feel like an overwhelming task. Remind yourself that you are doing your best in difficult circumstances and that it is OK to acknowledge that at times, you might not be handling every aspect of your family life as you would like. This is also true for your children who may not be able to express their feelings in words but are likely missing their friends and normal routines. You have all done an amazing job transitioning into the PCACS@Home Programme, and now it is time to take a well-earned break and down tools throughout the holiday period.

PETER CARNLEY ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL

HERE ARE OUR TOP TIPS FOR NAVIGATING THE HOLIDAYS AND TAKING CARE OF YOUR FAMILY’S WELLBEING. 1

Build screen free time into every day for outdoor or creative play. Some of your children may well be suffering from ‘screen fatigue’ as a result of these first two weeks of PCACS@Home, so this break is vital for physical and mental refreshment.

Of course with limited access to activities outside of the house, some screen time is inevitable, however try to make this part of creative connecting and playing rather than scrolling through social media posts. How about a virtual outing to a museum? https://www.familydaystriedandtested.com/free-virtual-tours-of-world-museumseducational-sites-galleries-for-children/ or a tour through a gallery? https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/ If your family loves Harry Potter, you might want to explore the history of Magic according to Hogwarts! https://artsandculture.google.com/project/harry-potter-a-history-of-magic You can even take a virtual holiday and explore the great cities of the world https://www.360cities.net/ Reading books is a wonderful way to take a break from the screen. Enlist your children’s help in creating a cosy reading nook so that they can get lost in an adventure or two.

Audible https://stories.audible.com/start-listen has a great range of free audio books available for children and teens.

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Understand that teenagers in particular will still need to connect with friends online, so help them to set up specific timeframes for this so that they are not on their devices all day. Arrange this the same way you would if you were dropping them to a friend’s house, with agreed ‘drop off and pickup’ times.

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Limit exposure to the news and social media feeds so that the whole family can take a break from the information overload. Choose one reliable source such as the State Government or Health Department and decide on no more than two check points during the day to get the latest updates.

Remember that your children have already had two weeks of PCACS@Home learning and are now experiencing their holidays. You might find that your oldest child is particularly testy as tempers and patience may be wearing thin, so pick your battles wisely and save your energy for making sure they are getting enough sleep and exercise.

Raising Children https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/behaviour/encouraginggood-behaviour/problem-solving-steps have some great suggestions for managing conflict using a problem solving model.

If you are trying to work from home during the holidays, sit down with the whole family and discuss everyone’s individual needs for space and privacy. Find some compromise with each other and try to be flexible as needs change. If possible, this might mean negotiating with your work colleagues about the times you are available.

Reach Out https://parents.au.reachout.com/skills-to-build/wellbeing/things-totry-wellbeing/how-to-maintain-your-own-wellbeing-during-coronavirus has some stellar advice from their own team who are working from home. Remember, you must take care of your own wellbeing too!

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For holiday fun at home, try ‘camping’ in the backyard or the lounge room, setting up tents, eating camp food and playing games together as if your Wi-Fi was out of range. Share a playlist of uplifting songs and host a virtual dance party or family karaoke night. Play a guessing or trivia game via email or a chat. Put family skills to the test with a virtual game of Hangman, Trival Pursuit or something new you make up entirely. Facetime a game of Battleship, Connect 4, Tic Tac Toe or other twoperson game with grandparents or cousins. Here are some great ideas from the Boy Scouts https://www.scouts.org.uk/the-great-indoors/ Think about creative ways of connecting and sharing a meal via Zoom or Face Time.

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Focusing your attention on helping and uplifting others is an effective way to conquer anxiety. During the extended time at home, encourage your children to make cards or write letters and send them to relatives. Look online for charities that are asking for donations of toys, games or clothes and set up a family task of sorting things to be donated once you are able to do so within social distancing guidelines. Why not knit or crochet for charity? https://www.wrapwithlove.org/

Resist the urge to over-schedule your children. Clearly you will need to put some things on the family calendar such as virtual playdates, but overall, the holidays should be down time. If the day doesn’t go as planned and everyone stays in their pyjamas and watches a movie marathon together, that’s ok and might be a great opportunity to bond as a family unit. Give yourself and your children ‘permission’ to let go of some expectations.

It is important for children to feel confident in playing on their own or with their siblings. “I’m bored” is not a sign you have failed, as your role is not ‘Entertainer in Chief”! In fact, research tells us that boredom, when not immediately attended to by a well-meaning parent, often leads to children engaging in creative play.

Rather than telling your children what to do, try some of these prompts for play https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/parenting/kids-independentplay-coronavirus-quarantine.html?fbclid=IwAR1SbdjmbBbzIHAcR1H_ nVxzCrljIPXp286Vo66R2BaTY3p0u4oM-s6da-w and then watch as their natural curiosity and creativity take over.

Tweens too focused on screen dependent gaming? Put those gaming skills to the test and challenge them to create their own gaming narrative where they invent a fantastic world, a story, challenges to overcome, levels and unique languages and characters. They can draw, paint, write and design all the elements and share them with friends for collaborative input.

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Recognise that everyone is likely suffering from some level of stress and anxiety at the moment. This is a natural response to the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves facing at this time. Even if your family has been sceptical of things such as mindfulness and meditation in the past, it is more important than ever to use different tools to manage stress.

Try some of these techniques – younger children https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=56_8aK3cLEA or teens and adults https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8Xdwr4cRTVA which will teach you deep breathing and stillness. There are plenty of other meditation and mindfulness videos on You Tube so experiment until you find a voice or length that works for you,

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The same is true of physical activity, which is one of the best ways to manage stress. Find a variety of ways for your family to move from Yoga and stretching to high intensity cardio. As long as you pay attention to social distancing guidelines, taking a family walk or bike ride is a great way to get some exercise, connect with nature and breathe some fresh air. Many trainers and exercise therapists are offering free videos online, so why not try some Yoga for children? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X655B4ISakg

PETER CARNLEY ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES https://bit.ly/RedCrossCOVID19pandemic https://bit.ly/3KidsListen2020 https://bit.ly/familywellnesscovid19