Autumn online & offline self-care challenges for your family

Autumn, is here. It is the end of summer. My favorite season has finally arrived.

Cosying up in warm blankets, cold air, and warm drinks. Unfortunately, my kids don’t feel the same. Because this means more time is spent indoors.

This season is a strange combination of comfort but also discomfort. As a mom I like the idea of cozying indoors with a nice book. But I am conflicted on how to keep the kids entertained.

So instead during this time of the year we take the opportunity to do a lot of self-reflection as a family.

It is that time of the year where there are only 2 months left before Christmas and we can think about the things we still have to achieve before the year ends.

Self-care for yourself and your kids is essential in times like this.

How can you instill self-care in your kids during this time of the year?

The thought of this can be scary and challenging. Personal growth happens to your kids every day of their life. But there is something special about autumn.

During those rainy and cold days, you can cozy up with your kids and start a self-care challenge.

So I invite you to take my family Autumn self-care challenge. Using this template or by creating your own.

Here is some self-care challenge my family will be taking this autumn:

Online self-care for you and your kids:

1. Scan your social media friends and remove those that bring you down (ask your kids to do the same, if they have a social media account)
2. Unsubscribe to newsletters that are filling in your email
3. Complete any online courses you have signed up for at the start of the year
4. Clear your desktop from those unwanted folders
5. Remove apps from your phone that you don’t use anymore
6. Remove YouTube from your kid’s devices and install alternatives like Netflix or Youtube for kids
7. Ask your kids to pick an educational show or course they would like to learn for the next 3 months. Challenge them to try something new. You can see a list of activities here. Don’t forget to get this free copy

Offline self-care for you and your kids:

1. Start a journal. You don’t have to wait for the beginning of the year to start something new. Challenge your kids to start writing daily. You can use the Happy Printable Journal which only takes 5 minutes to fill in each day.

1. Let go of things you don’t need at home. Declutter those toys, clothes, and things that are piling up your home. Ask your kids to choose toys they no longer want and get them to donate it to a local charity.
2. Pay attention to self-neglect and things or people that don’t respect you. Ask your kids if there is anyone in their life that upset them and what can they do to not let that person affect their mood.
3. Paint a pumpkin with inspirational sayings and funny faces.
4. Do something nice to celebrate your body. For example, go for a manicure with your child. Teach your kids how to love their body and the way they look.
5. Do something that you or your child is afraid to do. Facing fears is never easy but it goes a long way in building self-confidence in children. For example, learn a new skill together such as knitting, coding, or even playing video game with your child like Roblox or Minecraft.
6. Embrace the concept of warmth in this cold season. Surround yourself with music that makes you and your kids feel warm and fuzzy inside.
7. Choose a day where you and your kids will be offline. Go do something in nature. Play outside and pretend it’s the 90s.
8. Wash all the linens and bring out the warm blanket. Get your kids to help you pick the next set of sheets.
9. Cook together as a family. Get your child to pick a recipe from YouTube and prepare it together
10. Let go of things that have been bothering you. We all have that thing. For you to be present for your kids you need to learn to let go first.
11. Ask your kids to pick one bad habit they want to work on ( you can do the same) and then take baby steps to overcome it.
12. Go to a book store and ask your kids to pick a book they would like to read for the month. Don’t choose the book for them. Kids are more likely to complete reading a book they have picked themselves.
13. Go for a nature walk and take photos of the season. Do some video editing with your child and print out those photos.
14. Get your kids to write down their goals before Christmas. Small monthly/weekly goals can be effective and motivating for kids
15. Get spiritual and practice meditation and mindfulness with your kids. You can read more on how to meditate with your kids here.

Finally, check-in with how your kids are feeling:

Many times parents ask their kids how was their day in school and if you are lucky you get a two-word answer “yeah, alright.”

How can you know what your kids are really thinking? You can use the Happy Journal Printable and Growth Mindset Activities designed to help parents understand what has happened in their kid’s daily life.

You can even use the Growth Mindset Kit to start a gratitude challenge with your kids. Share in the journal things they are grateful for every day.

Watch how your kids transform their mindset to a positive one using simple prompts and reminders.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the growth-mindset kit you can use at home or in the classroom.