5 Ingredients For A Well-Balanced Life

This past week the Ashwood Glen students celebrated Spirit Week. Each day focused on an important aspect of life that’s necessary for emotional wellness, personal growth, and meaningful relationships. Gratitude, helpfulness, positivity, encouragement, and self-love are five key ingredients everybody needs to live a fulfilling life that’s enriched with rewarding experiences through a mutual respect for ourselves and others. Not only do these ingredients of life make our children happier, but they also help to make the world a better place overall. These facets of life are part of our personal-social and emotional learning program, which our students incorporate into their daily schedule. This common time across the school allows for collaboration and integration of material and concepts between the grade levels and students, giving them time for individual mindfulness as well as opportunities for making strides in their own mental, emotional, and interpersonal growth.

Gratitude

Teaching gratitude is important in order for children to learn the value of others’ actions in their life. Helping children learn to be thankful for the things they have, the family they have, and even the struggles in life that allow them to grow, can all help them have a deeper perspective of the true meaning of happiness. Learning to pause and soak in their gratitude helps children feel happier and less stressed, and become truly appreciative of the facets of their life.

Helpfulness

Children of all ages love being helpful which is great because helpfulness is crucial for collaboration. Children who are eager to help grow up to become adults who are ready to lend a helping hand. Helping others is rewarding and leads to a greater sense of community among friends, neighbors, classmates, and one day co-workers. Help your child become great helpers by giving them responsibilities that are appropriate for their age and offer rewarding experiences helping others.

Positivity

It isn’t always easy to stay positive, but there is always something positive in every moment. Learning to find the positive aspect in every situation is important to giving children hope. Challenge them to find three positive things each day. Remaining positive creates pathways for hope, and where there’s hope, there is always the will to keep going. Positivity is contagious, afterall, and the world needs more smiles.

Encouragement

Encouraging ourselves and encouraging others challenges each of us to continually do better. Encouragement helps children not give up or give in and inspires them to try new things and expand their experiences. Celebrate your child’s achievements, support their interests, and help them use failures as a stepping stone to learning how to use problem solving skills to try again.

Self-Love

In order to be kind and love others, children must first learn to love themselves. Positive self-talk and setting aside time for self-care are important factors to harboring a healthy amount of self-love. Help children recognize their worth and love who they are inside and out by practicing daily affirmations such as, “I’m brave,” “I’m kind,” and “I’m strong in my body and my mind”