Parent or carer? We created this for you

Parents who are looking for support and reassurance as lockdown restrictions start to ease can now access free online help from a leading children's mental health and wellbeing organisation.

Thrive® has launched the Thrive-Online Parent Toolkit as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, enabling parents and carers of children aged 4 to 11 to access practical guidance and information. Thrive is known for the training and online services it provides to teachers and other education professionals to support children's social and emotional development.  The new toolkit draws on this expertise to provide a resource for parents and carers who may be home schooling or helping children to manage uncertainty relating to the coronavirus situation.

"Everyone has been affected by the Covid lockdown and we wanted to offer parents and carers some simple techniques to help them to support their children while they are at home.  When parents are beset by demands on their time, a key message is: it's not so much about what you do with your children that is important, but how you do it, so that you can make the most of each interaction. It's the relationship and sense of security you build with your children that is key, particularly during times of uncertainty and change.  This new toolkit gives some specifically-chosen insights to help you make the most of your children's time at home," said Thrive's Managing Director, Diana Dewing.

The online toolkit provides information explaining the different, age-related stages of a child's social and emotional development so that parents can better understand what their children's behaviour is telling them about their needs. The idea is to introduce parents and carers to the developmental model used by Thrive and to provide them with age-appropriate strategies and activities to try with their children at home. It also highlights the importance of parents and carers looking after their own wellbeing so that they have the mental and emotional resources needed to support their children.

The portal builds on the work Thrive has done to help parents and carers who are home schooling their children while schools are not fully open. Throughout lockdown, Thrive Relationship Managers have been drawing up weekly schedules of activities for parents to try that help with adventurous and creative play that develops  children's ability to experience new things and overcome safe challenges - key features of healthy emotional development. Different weekly activities have been drawn up for children aged up to 7, up to 11 and up to 16. These have been posted to the Facebook group 'The Thrive Approach - supporting the community to weather the storm' which Thrive launched shortly after lockdown began.

Access the Thrive-Online Parent Toolkit here.

Over to you

Reduced anxiety and behavioural incidents. Calmer classrooms filled with engaged leaners. Improved relationships with parents and carers. These are just some of the outcomes reported by settings embedding Thrive’s whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Are you ready to join them? Click here to get started.