AD | Sponsored post. Please be assured all words & opinions are 100% my own. Read my disclaimer for further details.
After lockdown and once the schools re-opened, bedtime in our household became a bit challenging (read: driven to drink nightmare). My daughter, in particular, like many, was struggling to make the transition from ‘mum school’ to actual school, and bedtime became the time when all the ‘feelings’ surfaced.
She would describe an awkward feeling in her tummy that didn’t feel like the friendly, excited for something good to happen butterflies, rather, pretty unhappy tummy-dwelling creatures intent on making her feel uncomfortable & sad.
These were big feelings coming out, and I knew we had to explore them in a supportive and helpful way.
That’s when I remembered a family member had sent us the Happy Confident Me Daily Journal. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to help her reflect, reframe the day and have an outlet to begin to feel better.
Every night she would circle the feelings she had during that day. Then she would write three good things that had happened to her before answering two simple reflective questions such as ‘Today I was proud of…’ or, ‘One new thing I learnt today’. Sometimes she’d want to complete it by herself, and other times she’d ask me to sit with her. This was a good way for us to have helpful conversations addressing what was coming up for her. She continued to use the journal daily until these thought processes became more natural.
Journalling was undoubtedly helpful in her feeling happier again.
And it’s the reason I was highly interested to discover the creators of her journal offer a whole range of tools to help our children better understand and articulate themselves and their feelings. Their latest addition – The Happy Confident Me Life Skills Journal – has been welcomed into our household and put to the test by my kids.
All about the Happy Confident Me Life Skills Journal:
Created by top UK psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulus & renowned parenting expert Nadim Saad, the journal helps 7-12-year-olds develop the social & emotional skills needed to feel happier and more confident.
Based on the latest scientific research in well-being, children are helped to develop ten key life ‘powers’ such as introspection, optimism, mindset & resilience. If developed from an early age, these skills are recognised to help not just in childhood but also in adulthood.
With over 60 highly engaging activities, kids will be helped to understand themselves more, identify their feelings, and learn to let go of fear, anxiety or anger and increase their kindness and compassion towards themselves and others.
My thoughts on the Happy Confident Me Life Skills Journal
Presented to be bright and kid-appealing, each life skill is introduced in a simple, attention-grabbing, relatable way. In no time at all, the kids were being encouraged to crack on with the first activity. It was interesting to see the different ways they approached it. My son used more writing, whereas my daughter used more drawings – either way, both approaches work – it is their journal, after all.
They’re not all the way through their journals yet – I believe in letting them go at their own pace with it – but I have started to see themes that they’ve covered in the journal already work their way into their everyday thought processes. For example, my daughter (whilst discussing something that was worrying her slightly) said she felt she should try to be more optimistic and work out what her happy, confident voice would be saying to her about it instead.
As a parent (and well-being advocate), it’s great to know the kids are given the opportunity to equip themselves with life skills that will help them make their way in the world with more resilience, optimism and self-belief.
Here’s what my kids had to say…
My 4 top tips for supporting your kids in using the Happy Confident Me Like Skills Journal
Although the journal is straightforward, I do want to share some of the things I found helpful when introducing it to my kids
#01 Please don’t force it
Journalling is not my son’s natural territory. He’s 11 going on 15, and if something’s not on YouTube, I’ll be honest, it’s a hard sell. Placing the journal on day 1 in his hands and saying ‘get on with it’ wasn’t going to work. So I just had it out in the house where he would see it and encouraged his natural curiosity to take over.
Allow kids to go at their own pace with it. Forcing them to complete the journal will make it feel like a chore – or worse, homework! – and they’ll never want to use it. I continued to place them where I knew they’d be seen and most likely used. For example, setting the journal at the end of their beds seemed to do the trick (don’t forget to put a pen or pencil with it).
#02 Be available and without judgement
As I mentioned with the original Happy Confident Me Journal, sometimes my daughter wanted to complete it alone, and other times she wanted me there with her. Whilst they’re working through the journals, make yourself available to them. They might want to share something with you or ask for your perspective. Additionally, if they do involve you, don’t critique what they’ve said or written. The journal is a safe space for them to explore, learn & grow, not an exercise in parent pleasing.
#03 Read the journal first
I found it helpful to read the journal before passing it on to the kids. That way, I knew what was covered and what was being asked of them. It only took about 30 minutes to read cover to cover. Doing so enabled me to prepare myself to answer any questions, participate in conversations and notice when the learning was applied.
#04 Be prepared to take part
Yes, if they want to complete the journal by themselves, that’s great, but equally, some kids respond well to you being involved. It may be the difference between them completing the journal or allowing it to gather dust on a bookshelf.
Very soon, I’ll be getting involved in a ‘learning from your mistakes’ activity with the kids, them seeing me make mistakes too will help bring the message home.
Ultimately, children learning how to grow into happy, confident people should be a fun and reassuring experience, which is what the new Happy Confident Me Life Skills Journal provides the resource to do.
Find out more about the journal here
The Happy Confident range
As well as their brilliant journals, The Happy Confident Company also offer a range of well-being boosting cards, courses & printables.
Obviously, I’m a big advocate of affirmations cards, but I also want to bring your attention to their conversation cards too. My family have especially enjoyed using them to spark some fun, bond-building and engaging conversations. There are many different ways to use them, and they’re great for use on long car journeys, at restaurants or during family dinner time. I highly recommend them as a stocking filler this Christmas.
Find out more about their full range here.
RELATED: Self-Care For Parents
Have your children tried journaling before? How did they find it? What ways have you used to help your children explore their feelings? Any good tips of your own to share? Whatever you’d like to say – or ask – please do. I’m happy to help and I always love to hear from you!
