Self Care for Kids: 5 Simple Self Care Routines and Activities To Help Your Kids Thrive

The goal for many of us is to raise and nurture emotionally healthy and thriving kids, and we can reach this goal by prioritizing self care for kids! 

Being a child’s guardian and caretaker is a tough job and it only gets more complicated as they grow up. Getting them started early on with healthy coping mechanisms and self care practices can help them thrive as they move through the ups and downs life will surely throw at them. 

This guide will be an intro to all the best self care habits you can start teaching your children today. I hope this post is a helpful tool in your kit as you navigate raising a kind and self aware human! 

For full disclosure, I am not a child psychologist. I am a yoga teacher and educator and these are tips I derived from my own experiences working with kids. You know your child best so use these ideas as guidance and listen to your own intuition about what works best for your family! 

This post is all about the best tips for teaching kids about self care.

How To Create a Self Care Routine For Your Kids

Start self care habits when they are young, but no worries if you didn’t yet

I love the quote, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” Maya Angelou.

Offer yourself grace if you find ideas in this post that you didn’t implement when your children were super young. Incorporating these tips now is better than never-truly! 

Let your kids help choose what self care practices they want to include

To be honest, self care is probably not a priority for your child. Or it could be if you help them find ways for it to be fun! 

Most importantly, your child should have a decent say in their own self care practices. Trust that they know what they enjoy.

 Obviously, you are their guardian and you want to keep them safe but let them begin to cultivate self trust by choosing their own ways to fill their cup.

{RECOMMENDED POST: 13 Kind of Healthy Store Bought Vegan Kid Snacks They Will Actually Eat}

Forget gender norms surrounding popular self care practices

So much of the self care industry for adults is marketed toward women but everyone needs and deserves self care!

Here are some typical gendered self care practices that you can offer to all of your children!: 

Choosing a fun haircut or dying their hair 

Bubble baths with fizzy bath bombs

Nails and makeup 

Face masks or facials 

Shaving or not shaving when age appropriate 

Again, it’s your kids so do what works best for your budget and their comfort level. 

Think of something for each category (physical, mental, emotional, financial etc.)

You are teaching your kids a lot of things as they grow, that’s your job after all! Some of these tips you may already be covering but to reiterate, self care includes many different categories: 

Physical health (hair upkeep, bathing, clipping nails, dressing comfortably, finding a movement exercise they enjoy) 

Mental & emotional health (journaling, talking with a trusted friend, getting professional help, breathing exercises, finding purpose and passions, gratitude practice) 

Intellectual health (learning new things, reading, watching documentaries, traveling and experiencing new cultures-even just in your state!) 

Community and social health (feeling a part of the community, serving your community, donating, taking care of the earth and animals, helping family members) 

Financial health (teaching them about budgeting, making money through chores, saving and giving money) 

This is a SUPER quick list of things to consider and each category could be its own post on its own but hopefully, some of these rapid fire ideas include something you haven’t thought of and can include in your child’s self care routine! 

{RECOMMENDED POST: 8 Free Eco Friendly Self Care Ideas You Need to Add to Your Wellness Toolkit}

Consider getting professional help to nurture your children’s mental health

There are still many stigmas about going to a therapist, especially when it comes to our kids. You may feel judged by your friends and family if they find out your kid goes to therapy. Or you may worry that your friends will be bullied for going to therapy. 

Do we have these same fears surrounding taking our kids to the doctors, a soccer coach, or a piano teacher. Don’t they too teach our kids skills or take care of their health? Why should it be any different for our children’s mental health? 

Your child can learn many valuable skills about self care, emotional regulation, making friends and self-awareness with the help and expertise of a professional. 

Also, your child doesn’t have to go through a major loss or trauma to visit a therapist. We prioritize checkups for our physical health so why not our mental health? 

Take care of YOU!

“Everything you do teaches.” Your kids see how you treat yourself, talk to yourself and care for yourself. They see when you pause, take a deep breath, think through a solution, and then calmly tell the telemarketer on the phone to f off, politely of course. 

Now, this isn’t to say you have to be perfect (they should see you fail too). But do try to prioritize your own self care routine! The more you take care of yourself, the better and more fulfilled you will feel, thus being able to show up better for your family and they will mimic your practices. Make being kind to oneself the standard in your family, I promise it will have a positive ripple effect! 

{RECOMMENDED POST: 9 Relaxing Eco Friendly Self Care Practices To Feel Your Best} 

Do you have any tips about teaching your kids about self care you can share with the community? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and I’m sure it could help other caretakers and families as we navigate raising healthy kids! 

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Stay well, 

Maggie 

This post was all about self care for kids.

Other posts you may like: 

How To Create a Calming Classroom Environment That Your Students Love to Learn In

How to Support Yourself When You Are Dealing With Eco Anxiety | 5 Simple Tips 

10 Affordable Sustainable Skincare Brands You Need to Know About 

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