How to help your child feel heard

'My voice matters' is the theme of Place2Be's 2024 Children's Mental Health Week.  It's an opportunity to shine a light on the things that children and young people say they want and need from parents and caregivers to support their mental health and to think about how we can meet their needs.

Children want to know that its OK to talk to us about all and any of their feelings, that we will listen without judgement and without trying to fix or take the feelings away.   They need us to acknowledge their emotions and sometimes to know that they aren't ready to talk and that's ok.

What can we do to to listen,  put our own agenda and feelings aside as we tune into and embrace the ways that our children choose to express themselves? How can we empower them to use their voices in support of their own mental health?

Read on for a step by step guide and a tool kit of positive parenting skills that will help your child feel heard