Early Mental Health Definition
What is Early Mental Health?
Early Mental Health is about how young kids handle their feelings and behaviors in different situations. It’s about solving problems, calming down when things don’t go their way, and getting along with others. Early mental health supports kids’ development and relationships with their friends, family, and community. Mental health isn’t a fixed thing or something you’re “born with;” it may change over time. Each child’s mental health develops out of a combination of their unique qualities and experiences.
In early childhood, toddlers and preschoolers develop quickly and go through a lot of changes. There might be times when it’s hard for them to stay calm and in control as these changes are happening. Other times, it will be easy. This is normal! Young kids with good mental health can generally play, learn and get along with their families and communities in most ways on most days. For the most part, they enjoy daily life, roll with changes, and cope with challenges.
What are Early Mental Health Concerns?
Early Mental Health Concerns are different. These occur when young kids have a hard time managing their feelings and behavior over and over. Many things can affect a child’s mental health. These include their style of interacting with the world around them, developmental skills, family relationships, history, and cultural and community experiences.
Some signs of mental health concerns in a young child may be:
- Their tantrums are really big, last a long time, and happen when you don’t expect it.
- They have big reactions to small problems.
- They fight against their daily routines.
- They might seem grumpy or out of sync with the world around them.
- They have a hard time playing with friends and family.
- They have trouble dealing with changes and disappointments.
Most of these things look a lot like typical behavior of little kids. They become concerns when they are more intense, frequent or persistent than expected.
How do we help kids with their mental health?
We want to help kids build their “self-regulation” skills. Self-regulation means skills that help children manage their feelings and behavior effectively. Self-regulation is at the heart of the most important things young children need to learn as they grow. It supports things like learning to handle frustration or disappointment, solving problems without “losing it,” and getting along with others. These skills help children do things more independently and get them ready for school.
We can help kids learn self-regulation by:
- Supporting parents: Parents can learn new strategies to support their child’s mental health. They can learn to help their child cope when frustrated and develop a “bag of tricks” for managing strong feelings and behavior. These supports can be designed to fit each family’s unique priorities and values.
- Early identification: The earlier we identify early mental health concerns, the easier it is to help kids get back on track.
- And more!