For Children, These 7 Habits Include Self-Care

Illustration of self-care habits for children (Freepic)

YOGYAKARTA Take care of yourself, or known as self-care, is the basic need for humans including children. Teach children to take care of themselves and do important self-care habits. Because by taking care of themselves, they recognize feelings and identify what the body needs independently.

Children may not know what to do when they are stressed, tired, or feel disappointment and isolated. Therefore, it is important for parents to teach that self-care habits are like the following, help calm down, manage emotions, and restore energy for tomorrow's activities.

Don't underestimate your deep breath to refresh yourself. Launching PBS Kids for Parents, Sunday, July 14, when you see your child tired, teach deep breath training. It can also go through the activity of blowing a bowl of soup. Ask them to breathe through their nose. Then ask them to exhale through the mouth to blow the soup. This self-regulation strategy, something children can do themselves wherever they are.

Doing something ridiculous, sometimes can entertain yourself. For example, asking about what is the sky color this afternoon?, or Where is the shoe?, and if the child answers something wrong, it still helps the brain and their bodies calm down. In addition, encourage your child to pay attention to the surrounding room and mention the five things they see to refresh the brain.

Teaching children to stay hydrated by drinking enough mineral water, is a simple way to take care of themselves. This can be used as a good habit for life. Self-care for children is about helping them find calm moments to rest and refresh themselves has made them stressed or emotional. So, refilling the drinking bottle and then drinking water in a special place, immediately encouraging them to take their time to refocus on themselves.

When experiencing stress, children's behavior and habits will change. They have had a challenging day, so it's important for parents to be proactive. That is, invite them to make good rearrangements in themselves. For example, invite together to clean up the room. Or buy them books to read and take the time to enjoy rest days.

Just ask 'do you need to rest?' or 'let's rest'. Rest time makes a small miracle in the middle of a task that children have to complete. Rest should be considered a natural way to maintain your own health.

Taking care of the body means giving him the food he needs and is healthy. This is an important part of self-care for children. Give advice to your child to eat nutritious snacks.

Affirmation activities can be done with simple things. Like when your child takes a deep breath, teach them to say positive things. For example, 'I am creative and kind'. When I exhale, they can say 'I can make good decisions'. Ask them to repeat it three times. If your child often feels anxious, this way makes them relax and away from frustration.

The seven self-care habits above are easy for children to practice with their parents. In addition to the steps above, are there ways that you teach children to take care of themselves and manage emotions?