When you think about what is crucial for your child, essentials like water, shelter, food, and warmth may come to mind.
Behavior
Human Connection & Tranquility is Crucial for Children (My Notes)
When you think about what is crucial for your child, essentials like water, shelter, food, and warmth may come to mind.
When you think about the idea in more depth, however, things like love, friendship, and happiness could be considered equally important for the development of your child. Love and friendship can be seen as solid components of human connection, and I firmly believe human connection and tranquility are crucial for children.
Education resources
Why are human connections important for children?
Dr. Dan Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry, theorizes that ‘relationships are the defining feature of being human. Indeed, our relationships with those around us shape our character and define how we see ourselves as individuals.
A human connection is a type of relationship that can be created by simply smiling and interacting with another person. Human connections inspire a sense of belonging that we, as humans, crave.
Do children need human connections?
The connections and relationships an individual create as a child will profoundly affect their sense of self and how they grow up.
For example, positive relationships between a parent and teacher will help a child understand their sense of worth and what behavior is and isn’t acceptable in society.
How can human connections help children?
Teaching and encouraging a child to form and maintain human connections and relationships will prepare them for the adult world, where positive relationships and friendships are often essential for good mental health and a successful career. Children who are unable to make human connections may struggle with the following:
- Communicating
- Trusting others
- Loneliness and depression
While having human connections is important, the quality of the relationships must also be considered. The stronger the relationship, the greater its effect on a child.
Why is tranquility important for children?
Teaching children how to be tranquil at home and in the classroom has many benefits. From being able to act calmly under pressure to communicate their feelings more effectively, a tranquil child is much more prepared to cope with problems and difficult situations in their day-to-day life.
Through my years working with children in school and home environments, I have developed 5 top tips to help promote tranquillity in children.
1. Help them work through their emotions
A feeling of tranquility cannot be achieved if a child feels anger or sadness. Encourage them to talk about their emotions throughout their day and when they show signs of being angry or sad, help them work through the emotion and find a resolution to whatever has caused it.
2. Encourage them to practice mindfulness
Mindfulness, or encouraging children to think carefully about their actions and the world around them, can reduce stress and improve their understanding of empathy. For example, taking a child on a walk and asking them to notice what they can hear, see, smell, and feel is a calming exercise that helps them to feel tranquil and engage in the world around them.
3. Breathe
While this may seem overly simple, teaching your child breathing exercises will help them find their inner tranquillity and remain calm in difficult situations. To promote a sense of tranquillity, encourage your child to:
- Take a deep breath
- Hold your breath for 3 seconds
- Release the breath for 5 seconds
4. Regulate electronic devices
Too much exposure to electronic devices, whether computer screens at school or mobile phones and games at home, can damage children. They can also overstimulate the mind and prevent a child from feeling tranquil. Limit computers and electronic devices, particularly before bedtimes, to ensure your child can feel peaceful and tranquil.
5. Set a tranquil example
Any message you send your children or students about tranquillity will be quickly ignored if you fail to act calmly. Try to regulate your anger and work through your problems calmly and rationally.
