BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) — Sunday, Oct. 10 is World Mental Health Day and a homework helper platform wants to give parents tips on how to help children manage their feelings.
Brailnly is a peer-to-peer learning platform for anyone in education to ask and answer questions. Patrick Quinn, a parenting expert at Brainly, says the pandemic is changing families’ routines.
“As a parent and former teacher, I found myself looking for ways to help my kids as they, like many others, struggled with catching up on missed work and adjusting to a new normal,” Quinn said. “Luckily, there are many online tools and resources such as Brainly we can turn to for support.”
Quinn gives four tips on how to help children with their anxiety. The first tip Quinn gives is making quality time with kids a priority and giving them lots of attention and affection.
“While we need to ensure our children are learning, it’s also important that we are monitoring and supporting their mental and emotional health during a time of acute stress and anxiety,” Quinn said. “As much as your sheer quantity of family time might not make extra squeezes or hand-holding automatically appealing, that’s often exactly what kids need to manage big emotions that are simmering under the surface.”
Quinn’s second tip is to ask children about their boundaries and to give them what they need. Quinn says to ask kids what they are learning in school and what they are doing with technology. Parents should keep an eye on their child’s screen time.
“For example, with a Brainly Parent Account, you can pair your account with your child’s account to track their learning progress, see their strengths and challenges, and help them with homework,” Quinn said.
The third tip is being honest with other parents when it comes to their own struggles. Quinn says his biggest piece of advice for parents to overcome pandemic burnout is to connect with friends.
“It’s absolutely crucial for parents to connect with friends and share their experiences in order for them to maintain their emotional health,” Quinn said. “That is something that often goes by the wayside when parents are struggling because when they’re working and raising children, they feel like there’s no time.”
Quinn’s final tip is to make sure nutrition, sleep, and exercise are taken care of.
“Not making time to adequately care for yourself increases the risk of burnout, and while these pillars of physical wellness may seem like a ‘no-brainer, you’d be surprised how many parents don’t place enough importance on them and their connection to burnout,” Quinn said.