Spring Break, our mid-March rest, finds us welcoming the official start of Spring and opens the door for increased family connection time. With the school schedule paused for a couple of weeks, there is an opportunity to strengthen family connection and establish some simple routines to enhance attachment. Consider the following ideas to help children feel seen, heard, and safe.

• Arrange 10 minutes of “special time” every day with each child; this communicates “you matter to me” 
  • Let the child choose the activity and follow their lead, value their ideas and thoughts
  • Put phones away
  • Avoid correcting or teaching
  • Do “rose & thorn” check-ins (best and hardest part of the day)

• Get outside together; nature helps to regulate big feelings
  • Look for signs of spring together
  • Start a small planting project
  • Visit a park you’ve never been to before

• Enjoy your child; delight in your child
  • Play with them
  • Read with them
  • Watch their television shows/movies and get involved with what interests them

• Set limits and guidelines; protect family time
  • Restrict access to social media, cell phones, and other devices
  • Regularly sit-down for meals together
  • Schedule and plan family outings/activities together

• Model repair; more time together can increase friction
  • ​​​​​​​Name your own feelings as a parent or caregiver, apologize, and restore: “I was feeling frustrated earlier. I’m sorry. I love you.”
  • Connection before correction: pause, get curious, offer calm first before redirection
  • Normalize mistakes and let children know that even grown-ups are still learning

We wish all of our families a restful and meaningful Spring Break filled with connection, laughter, and time together.

Contributed by Wendy Turriff, Junior School Counsellor