Children's Mental Health Awareness Week

In today’s fast-paced world, even young children can feel overwhelmed by everyday stressors. School pressures, busy schedules, social challenges, and constant screen time can all take a toll on a child’s emotional well-being. Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is a wonderful reminder to slow down, reconnect, and support the hearts and minds of the children around us.

One of the simplest ways parents can help is by encouraging regular breaks from screens. While technology can be useful and entertaining, too much time online can increase anxiety, overstimulation, and difficulty focusing. Experts also recommend limiting screen exposure before bedtime, as bright light and stimulating content can interfere with healthy sleep routines. Creating a screen-free hour before bed — replacing devices with reading, quiet conversation, drawing, puzzles, or calming music — can help children wind down more naturally.

Spending time outdoors can also make a huge difference. Fresh air, sunshine, movement, and unstructured play help children regulate emotions, reduce stress, and improve mood. Even light physical activity such as an evening walk, stretching, bike riding, or backyard play can help children sleep more soundly at night. Regular exercise and healthy daily routines are strongly connected to better sleep quality and emotional health.

Nutrition also plays an important role in mental and emotional wellness. A balanced diet filled with whole foods — including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, dairy, and lean proteins — supports healthy brain development, emotional regulation, concentration, and energy levels. Families are encouraged to offer a variety of foods and limit heavily processed snacks and sugary drinks when possible. Healthy eating does not have to be expensive, and local community resources can help families access fresh foods and pantry staples.

Local farmers' markets and farm stands are a great way to locally source a variety of health foods. Families needing assistance in accessing healthy foods may find support through organizations like Center of Hope, Kankakee County Community Services Inc, and Kankakee Catholic Food Pantry. Various resources can be found for Kankakee and Iroquois counties online as well including: https://extension.illinois.edu/food/find-food-illinois and https://www.eifoodbank.org/help/mobile.html .

Sleep is another critical part of children’s mental health. Clinical recommendations from the CDC and sleep specialists suggest:

• Ages 3–5: 10–13 hours of sleep per day

• Ages 6–12: 9–12 hours per night

• Ages 13–17: 8–10 hours per night

Children who consistently do not get enough sleep are at greater risk for anxiety, mood changes, difficulty concentrating, behavioral challenges, and poor academic performance. Establishing calming bedtime routines, keeping bedrooms screen-free when possible, maintaining consistent bedtimes, and reducing stimulating activities before sleep can greatly improve both emotional and physical health.

Most importantly, children need to know they are loved, valued, and safe. Small daily moments of connection — sharing meals together, talking openly, laughing, creating, resting, and simply being present — can have a lasting impact on a child’s emotional well-being and resilience.

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