Nurturing Early Childhood Mental Health

Emotional well-being includes developing self-awareness, being confident, and being able to self-regulate. Self-regulation means that children are encouraged to “feel” their emotions and to express them in a way that is appropriate for the situation, and safe for both themselves and others.

Emotions are important as they help children understand the world around them. Children need to understand that all emotions are okay to feel – there are no good or bad emotions. Children learn to express their emotions and recognize feelings by watching their caregivers.

Caregivers can help children develop emotional well-being by:

• talking about their emotions, how they feel, and how they express them
• remembering that their child is watching how they deal with emotions and will imitate their caregiver
• providing responsive, nurturing, safe, and consistent care
• helping children to understand, name, and express their emotions
• helping children to recognize other people’s emotions
• teaching children resiliency skills

Children need places, people, and objects around them that promote and support health, safety, and well-being. Some examples of environmental well-being include having safe places to explore and play, having clean water to drink, having a safe community to develop connections in, and having infrastructure that supports families.

Caregivers can support children’s environmental well-being by:

• checking for and removing hazards from play and exploration areas
• exposing children to stimulating and diverse environments
• ensuring that children have access to safe water and food supplies
• developing communities where families have options to interact
• choosing equipment and furniture that has been safety approved in Canada

Mental well-being is sometimes referred to as cognitive or intellectual development and refers to the child’s ability to think and reason. Mental well-being includes fostering children’s ability to organize their ideas and thoughts, make sense of the world they live in, and acquire new skills and knowledge as part of lifelong learning and mental development.

Supporting children’s mental development does not require special skills or equipment. Caregivers can nurture mental well-being by:

• imitating their baby’s eye movements, movements, facial reactions, and sounds (called serve and return)
• letting children have free play time
• engaging in child-led play
• providing age-appropriate stimulation
• helping children develop problem-solving skills
• encouraging early literacy skills by introducing numbers, letters, reading, and singing at a young age
• helping children break goals into small steps and have success
• teaching children that mistakes and failure is okay

External Link

• Dimensions of Health and Well-being
• Physical development
• Spiritual development
• Social and Emotional Health
• Environmental Health
• Early Childhood Mental Health
• Mental Health

Warm, affectionate, respectful, and consistent caregivers help children develop socially. Adults who model positive language, interactions, and social behaviours promote social development and well-being. Learning self-control, emotional regulation, curiosity, and communication skills are all part of social well-being.

Young children develop a sense of connection and trust, a sense of belonging, and a well-developed support system when adults around them show genuine interest and concern for their health and well-being. Caregivers must also demonstrate that they care, accept the child, and be affirming.

Caregivers can help children’s social well-being by:

• modeling healthy relationships with friends, family, and community members
• being involved in social gatherings
• providing time for children to freely interact with peers
• helping children develop self-regulation skills, including impulse control
• teaching social skills like communication, sharing, asking for help, and getting support

Spiritual well-being can include religious beliefs, but it is also much more than this. Spiritual well-being involves having a connection to something outside of ourselves. This connection can include feeling like you belong in a community, having a sense of your culture and traditions, developing personal values and ethics, feeling a connection to nature, and connecting to a higher being.

Our experience with spiritual well-being changes throughout life. Children engage the world with wonder, curiosity, amazement, and observation.

Caregivers help children develop spiritual well-being in many ways, including:

• talking about feelings such as awe, joy, and love
• using words like calm, peace, and connection
• allowing children to ask questions and encouraging reflection
• modelling empathy by being caring, open, respectful, and compassionate
• sharing values, ethics, and morals
• sharing culture and traditions

Physical well-being in young children refers to children’s growth in height and weight, gross and fine motor skill development, organ development, and physical abilities. Children develop at their own pace.

The early years are a time for tremendous and rapid physical growth and development. Sleep, hydration, movement, exploration, play, nutrition, and physical health play a role in development. Ensuring physical well-being includes attending well-child check-ups, receiving scheduled vaccines, and seeking medical care for the child if needed.

It is important to remember that children differ physically from adults in many ways. Some ways include having thinner skin, a higher respiratory rate, and less muscle tone. These differences must be considered when supporting children’s physical well-being.

Caregivers can support children’s physical development by:

• providing guidance and support, for example, holding the hands of a toddler while they take a few steps
• providing nutritious foods, water, and a healthy sleep environment
• encouraging and modeling physical movement daily
• teaching children about their physical body, teaching safety skills, keeping the home and play environment free of hazards, attending
• regular healthcare visits, and more