How Can Families Support Their Child’s Mental Health at Home?
By Julie Diamond, Founder & CEO of Diamond Teachers Group
As a step-parent and educator in Canada, I’ve noticed a really clear shift over the past few years in how many children are coping emotionally. More kids seem anxious, easily overwhelmed, less confident in social situations, and more dependent on constant stimulation. In my own home and through my work with families, I see how often children move from school to screens, from screens to activities, and rarely get real downtime to just be.
One of the biggest changes I’ve made personally at home is intentionally slowing things down and creating space for boredom, independence, and emotional reflection. These small shifts have had a noticeable impact on my stepson’s confidence, creativity, and ability to manage frustration.
Here are some of the most practical strategies I’ve been using both at home and at school:
1. Be intentional about screen time (and not just the amount)
Screen time is one of the biggest daily influences on children right now. I’m not anti-technology at all, but I’ve seen firsthand how quickly kids can become dysregulated, irritable, or completely disengaged after too much recreational screen use.
At home, we’ve had to set very clear boundaries. What’s helped most is not just limiting screen time, but being intentional about when and how it’s used:
No screens during meals
No screens right before bed
Clear “on” and “off” times for recreational use
Prioritizing movement, outdoor time, and face-to-face interaction first
General guidelines that many professionals reference look like:
Ages 2–5: about 1 hour/day of high-quality content
Ages 6–12: 1–2 hours/day of recreational screen time
Teens: more flexible, but with boundaries around sleep, social media, and balance
What I’ve noticed personally is that when screen time increases, creativity and patience decrease. When it decreases, everything else improves, such as conversations, imagination, and even mood regulation.
2. Teach boredom as a skill (this one has been a game changer in our home)
One of the most powerful shifts we’ve made is intentionally allowing boredom. This all started because my partner and I were busy, and he needed to wait for 15 minutes. We set a timer, and it was a real eye-opener. He couldn’t go more than about 2 minutes without asking us to entertain him or asking for screens. He continued checking in every 2–3 minutes until the timer went off. It made us realize that he hadn’t yet developed the skill of simply waiting or sitting with boredom, so we decided to intentionally build it. That’s when we created this “boredom challenge” for him.
I call it “9 minutes of boredom” with my 9-year-old stepson, which is based on one minute per year of age. As he gets better with the 9 minutes, we add a couple of extra minutes to extend it each time.
During that time, there are:
no screens
no toys were handed to him
no adults entertaining him
At first, it was hard. He would come to us constantly asking what to do. He genuinely didn’t know how to sit in boredom without immediately seeking stimulation.
But over time, something really interesting happened.
He started:
inventing games with random objects
drawing storybooks
building challenges for himself
What looked like “nothing to do” turned into creativity we hadn’t seen before.
And the bigger lesson underneath is that kids are not “bad at boredom”, they just haven’t been given space to develop it.
Boredom teaches:
creativity
problem-solving
independence
emotional regulation
self-confidence
And just as importantly, it teaches children that they don’t always need external entertainment to feel okay.
3. Let kids take more ownership of their social world
One of the biggest confidence builders I’ve seen is letting children manage more of their own social interactions.
For children around age 9 and up, I encourage families to step back from organizing every playdate. Instead, teach your child how to:
message or call friends themselves
suggest plans
follow through on their own invitations
At first, it feels easier as a parent to just arrange everything. But when kids do it themselves, they learn social confidence in a much deeper way.
I’ve also noticed that children who manage their own friendships tend to become more resilient when plans change or conflicts come up, because they feel ownership over their relationships.
4. Give them real-world responsibility (even small things matter)
Confidence doesn’t come from being told you’re capable. It comes from being given chances to prove it.
One of the simplest things I encourage is letting children handle small, real-world tasks independently:
ordering and paying at a restaurant
speaking to a cashier
asking for help in a store
packing their own bag for activities
These moments might feel small, but for a child, they are huge confidence builders.
I’ve watched kids go from hesitant and quiet to proud and excited after successfully doing something on their own. It builds a sense of “I can do hard things.”
My partner came home beaming after an outing with his son. During their visit to a race track, his son confidently asked to “speak to the manager” to get advice on how to approach the new layout. His confidence has grown so much over the past year that he now feels comfortable speaking up and asking questions like that without hesitation. My partner got some insight to help his racing thanks to his son’s newfound confidence. :)
5. Step back from solving every conflict
This one can be really difficult for parents, especially when emotions are high between siblings or friends. But I’ve learned that stepping in too quickly actually prevents children from developing emotional intelligence.
Instead of immediately fixing things or forcing apologies, I try to slow the moment down with questions like:
“How do you think they felt when that happened?”
“What do you think they needed in that moment?”
“If someone did that to you, what would you want?”
One shift I’ve made intentionally at home is not forcing apologies. Instead, I focus on understanding.
Because an apology without understanding doesn’t build empathy. It instead just teaches compliance.
When children are guided to reflect, they start to naturally think about the impact of their actions, which is far more meaningful than a forced “sorry.”
6. Focus on emotional language, not correction
A lot of children struggle not because they are “misbehaving,” but because they don’t have the words to express what they feel.
At home and school, I try to name emotions out loud often:
“That sounds really frustrating.”
“I can see you’re disappointed.”
“That must have felt unfair.”
This helps kids:
recognize their own emotions
feel understood
build emotional vocabulary
When kids feel understood, they are far more likely to regulate themselves.
7. Encourage trying new things without pressure to be perfect
Another big piece of mental health support is helping children develop confidence through experience, not perfection.
Whether it’s:
trying a new sport
learning an instrument
speaking in front of others
or joining a new group
The goal isn’t success every time. It’s exposure and courage.
I always try to praise effort over outcome:
“I noticed how hard you worked on that.”
“You kept trying even when it was tricky.”
This builds resilience and reduces fear of failure.
8. Prioritize connection over correction
At the end of the day, children’s mental health is deeply connected to how safe and connected they feel at home.
Some of the most meaningful moments aren’t structured at all:
car conversations
bedtime chats
walks together
shared meals without devices
These moments build emotional safety, which becomes the foundation for everything else.
When children feel connected, they are more open to guidance, more confident socially, and more resilient when challenges come up.
Supporting children’s mental health at home doesn’t require perfection or complicated systems. In my experience, it comes down to small, consistent shifts: less over-stimulation, more boredom, more independence, and more space to think, feel, and problem-solve.
When I step back and look at what has made the biggest difference in my own home, it’s not fancy programs or structured interventions. It’s allowing my stepson to experience boredom, independence, responsibility, and reflection.
And slowly, I’ve watched him grow into someone more creative, more confident, and more comfortable just being himself.
That, to me, is the real goal.