Activities That Are Mentally & Emotionally Healthy for Kids

Educating Parents

• While taking care of a child's physical needs comes naturally, understanding how to communicate with your child and learn her personality and emotions is a different story. Mental Health America offers tips to educate parents on fostering good mental and emotional health. Building trust through unconditional love, developing a secure and safe environment, giving appropriate guidance, growing confidence, creating opportunities to socialize with other children and having supportive teachers and caregivers are all important to the enhancement of a healthy psyche in a child. Participation in activities based on the preceding list leads to positive mental growth.

Developing Family Ties

• Families who put time and effort into building healthy relationships foster positive mental and emotional health. A Family Resource Sheet published by Central Michigan University recommends activities such as spending time honoring each member of the family, completing a family project together and talking about family rules and the consequences associated with not following them. Mental Health America encourages parents and caregivers to listen, make themselves available to answer questions and resist criticizing or nagging.

Making Time to Play

• Taking the time to be a kid is a significant aspect of healthy psychological development. Most children do not have the freedom at school to let off steam without being a disruption. Parents who create opportunities for kids to play help relieve academic and cultural pressures. Mental Health America reminds adults that modern society places importance on success and winning and emphasizes playing is more about having fun.

Time Outdoors and Physical Activity

• Most parents understand the physical reasons why kids should play outside, but many may not know the mental benefits. Eat Right Montana points out that, according to research, time outdoors improves focus and concentration. Nicola Wiles, in her article for "Social Psychology and Psychiatric Epidemiology," reports that children who regularly participate in physical activity have fewer incidences of depression, emotional problems or psychological distress. In fact, Wiles found that the children in her study who suffered from emotional problems had a marked reduction in symptoms after a year of increased physical activity.