ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – May 7 is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and May is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
Mental health can impact a child’s ability to learn, build relationships and cope with challenges.
A family medicine physician at UW Health says talking about these topics can help children and teens build coping skills.
Some questions you can ask your child include ‘What was the best and worst part of your day?’ and ‘What is taking up space in your mind right now?’ Parents and caregivers can also spend time with their children through shared activities or volunteering at their school.
“The biggest piece of any way to support children is to be there for them, and that can look a lot of different ways depending on what stage of life your child is in,” Family Medicine Physician Dr. Andrea Giamalva says. “Maybe it starts in the home with just communicating with them, being open and honest, talking with them about the values you have as a family.
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