Please find below information on Understanding behaviour, from the resource Emerging Minds.

To reach their full potential, children need to feel safe and nurtured. They also need to be able to express their emotions and have them ‘seen’ and responded to in a supportive and caring way. Understanding your child’s emotions and behaviours and knowing how to support them makes a positive difference to their development, learning, relationships and mental health.

Understanding behaviour as communication

Children may not yet fully understand, or have the language to express, their emotions, so their behaviour can be a way of exploring and communicating their feelings and needs. If your child’s behaviour is challenging, it’s normal to feel concerned or want to ‘fix it’ as quickly as possible. But this is not always the best way to support your child. Instead of only focusing on the behaviour itself, try to be curious about what’s behind it. For example, you might say, ‘I’ve noticed that you’ve been hitting your sister. I want you to know it’s never OK to hit someone. I wonder if you were feeling angry about something when you did that?’

Create opportunities and space for your child to talk about what’s going on for them and how they’re feeling. When children experience big emotions like anger or frustration, connecting with you (or another trusted adult) can help them to feel safe and calm down. Trying to understand what your child might be experiencing, feeling and trying to express can help you to understand their emotions – and help your child to understand them, too. Helping your child recognise and name their emotions can also strengthen your connection and parent-child relationship.

It’s not always obvious or easy for you or your child to pinpoint what’s behind their behaviour. As adults, we don’t always understand our emotions or reactions either! By taking the time to be curious and show empathy, you’re showing your child that their feelings and thoughts matter.

In this video (2 minutes, 53 seconds) parents and practitioners talk about ways children express emotions and the importance of being curious about what might be beneath a child’s behaviours.

Understanding and supporting children's emotions and behaviour
https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/emotions-and-behaviours-understanding-and-supporting-childrens-feelings-and-responses/?audience=family

Taking care of yourself

To support your child’s emotions and mental health, you need to first look after your own wellbeing. Taking care of yourself will help you to ‘tune in’ to how your child is feeling and coping and be better able to support them. Also remember that children notice and learn from the behaviour of those around them – so watching you take care of yourself and use positive coping strategies will benefit them (and the rest of your family) too.

If you regularly find your child’s behaviours and emotions difficult to understand, it can be helpful to get some advice and support for yourself. Not all adults grew up with the support to understand and regulate their own emotions. It’s often not until we become parents, and we’re helping children understand emotions, that we realise how important that is. Click on this link for resources that can assist Support for parents: where to get it | Raising Children Network

Saver Plus is a program for people on lower incomes. It’s about enhancing financial skills, to develop (and keep) good savings habits. Since 2003, Saver Plus has supported more than 60,000 people to start saving.

Saver Plus has helped overcome the barriers around education expenses. And sets families up for a brighter future.

To be eligible You must have all of the following:

• A Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card  
• an eligible Centrelink payment*
• Be studying yourself OR have a child in school (can be starting school next year)
• Have regular income from work (either yourself or your partner)* including Carers Payment / Child Support / Cash in hand
• Be 18+ years old
• Agree to join in free online financial education workshops called MoneyMinded
• Not completed Saver Plus previously

* Many types of income and Centrelink payments are eligible, see the Saver Plus terms and conditions for more information.

Are you a grandparent caring for your grandchildren?  Would you like to meet up with others in the same situation?  The next get together is taking place on Thursday 26 September at 10am at the Northam Dome.  For more information, contact Michelle Gillingham on michelle.gillingham@grandcarerswa.au.