March is here and the kids will soon be wearing muddy boots, rain coats, and dancing in the rain.
As we prepare for this joyful spring season, we are inviting educators, parents, and communities to enter our exciting March contest.
Comment on any of our Instagram (@umbrellapjct) posts with the hashtag #BuildYourUmbrella. Entries will be accepted until March 31st 2019 at midnight.
Share with us how you are building resilience and wellbeing for your family. For example: you can let us know what your favourite Umbrella Skill is or how you’re actively building your umbrella this season.
We will be selecting one lucky winner to receive a beautiful, hand painted doorskin by our friends at The Libella Project. The Libella Project recognizes the washroom as a space of safety and peace for students in troubled times. They are working to make the washroom an even more supportive space by painting positive messages on the bathroom stalls.
Research suggests that kids who are autonomous in selecting their extracurricular activities are more likely to stay actively engaged in that sport or activity over time.
For kids who do not have free choice to choose their extracurricular activities, a different outcome results. Listen in with Dr. Jen to learn more!
To help your child develop autonomy, you want them to take responsibility for their learning.
There will always be external factors at play in our lives. However, it can be easy for your children to externalize onto other people why certain things were not completed. For example, not preparing for a test because there was no reminder on the board.
It’s important that we hold our children accountable for their own learning. This lets them build a sense of confidence around their own abilities to learn and get things done, regardless of external factors.
To start this process, ask your child ‘What could you have done?’ Dr. Jen explains more in today’s video tip.
Welcome to March! This month, we are focusing our energy on building autonomy. In my personal journey of building my own umbrella, autonomy is something that I didn’t get a lot of through my childhood. As an adult, I have spent a lot of focus building out this particular hole in my umbrella. I can attest to the powerful skill that autonomy offers in moving us towards our goals and dreams.
What is Autonomy?
Autonomy is our child’s need to perceive that they have choices and that they are the source of their own actions.
It is their ability and confidence in making self-directed decisions and choices, especially when the situation is uncertain and not part of the usual routine. Autonomy helps us to feel motivated, engaged and satisfied with our lives and helps us apply energy in the right directions.
There is a universal desire to be active agents in our own lives. The impact of autonomy has been studied in over 80 countries around the world. Regardless of culture, autonomy is consistently linked to better life satisfaction.
The number one well-being benefit we get from autonomy is: feeling able to make our own decisions and have control over our path in life. This is not completely independent of the other people in our lives. As we will explore this month, maintaining healthy community while having your own direction creates powerful autonomy and is a big part of a well-rounded umbrella.
Today’s tip for building mindfulness is – do a beginner’s mind activity!
Consider this scenario: you’ve just landed from Mars. You have never seen or done any of the usual daily Earth-based activities. How do you approach doing routine daily tasks? Probably with curiosity, interest, and exploration.
This is a basic concept of mindfulness. It means seeing everything with fresh eyes. We are able to see things as they’re happening right in the moment. In the process, we leave behind all of the information we layer over our experiences.
Wondering how you can activate the beginner’s mind activity for yourself and your child this week? Listen in with Dr. Jen as she shares some practical ways to give it a try!
