It’s never too late to give your family’s wellbeing a high priority. The ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ will help you to develop a wellbeing plan for your family.

Talk about your plan as a family, and schedule it into your family recreation time. How will your family connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give back?

Using the Five Ways to Wellbeing with your family

Connect

• have a regular family dinner and encourage your teenager to invite a friend
• participate in school activities or events to meet other school families
• organise a weekly family games night - inside or outside games where everyone can have fun together
• make time for important people in your life.

Be active

• walk, ride, jog or swim together before after school
• play sport together
• go hiking
• go camping
• go for a bush walk
• explore your neighbourhood.

Take notice

• encourage your child to think of three things they are grateful for each day
• teach your child how to meditate
• teach your child to notice things or people that make them happy.

Keep learning

• take up a new hobby as a family and learn together
• get your child to teach you the language they are learning at school
• travel and learn about different cultures and places
• learn about the history of your community
• find out about your family history.

Give

• give your time as a family to a cause that is important to you
• help at school events
• support elderly neighbours
• volunteer at a community event
• challenge everyone in the family to do something kind for someone else.

Other important wellbeing aspects

Diet

Teenagers should eat healthy, nutritional food to support both their physical and mental development. Help your teenager have healthy eating habits by insisting that they eat regularly and drink plenty of water.

Sleep

Sleep is essential for mental wellbeing. Insist that your child develops a regular sleep pattern, especially around exam time. Find out more on the basics of healthy sleep patterns.

Belonging

The sense of belonging that comes from being part of a loving and supportive family is one of the most effective ways of developing your child's mental wellbeing.

We’ve borrowed this content from ReachOut – Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people and their parents – with their permission. You can find the original article here. Check out more of their full range of practical support, tools and tips at ReachOut.com and ReachOut.com/Parents.