What's a Parent's Role?

Take our Authoritative Parenting Test

Find a family therapist near me

Parents set the tone, values, and routines that nurture kids' emotional well-being.

Interacting with nature increases focus, energy and positivity.

Parents can encourage digital-free hangout time and teach kids about boundary-setting with devices.

As a child therapist working with anxious and depressed kids, I know that back-to-school time brings up a lot for parents, kids, and families. New schools. Socializing and fitting into peer groups. Academic pressure. Physical appearance. Teasing and bullying.

All of this—and more—is a lot to navigate! But both parents and kids can get ahead of the school year’s stress pile-up by establishing healthy habits and routines at the outset that will positively shape kids’ mental health throughout the school year.

And best of all, the inspiration for these strategies comes from the summer camp playbook!

From new friendships to challenge courses to song circles around the campfire, kids thrive at camp. Time in nature with friends alongside a healthy dose of independence and creativity is just as exciting today as it was 30 years ago.

As summer winds down, school need not be a rough transition. Rather, it can be an opportunity for families to renegotiate household rhythms and reset family values.

Here are several basic ingredients that parents can translate into routines that guide family life and build long-term resilience.

1. Exposure to nature

A new global study adds to an already existing body of research demonstrating that when people spend time in or interact with nature in some way—anything from a walk in a park to looking out the window to watching a nature documentary or playing with a pet—they feel significantly better. Indeed, psychiatrists actually give out “park........

© Psychology Today