One Habit to Improve Mental Health in Your Child

Mental health is a hot topic and a real topic today. It is especially important to help build habits to help your mental health at a young age.

How do you Improve Mental Health in Your Child?

One habit leads to decreased depression, increased self esteem, greater calm, fewer pains and better health. 

Serving others. 

Why? Because God created us to love others. God designed you, and your child, to find purpose in helping other people. 

This is why MecKidz mission is to partner with parents to lead children to know, love AND SERVE Jesus. 

Jesus was clear how we should serve Him: 

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we… feed you…give you something to drink… invite you in… clothe you… and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:35-40 NIV) 

Translation: When we serve others, we serve Jesus. 

Here is how you can lead your child to SERVE Jesus. 

• Schedule It: Make it a priority by planning for it. Set aside an afternoon or evening every month to serve others.
• Make it about LOVE: Most kids are “consumers” by nature, doing things that “benefit themselves.” Serving is about benefiting others. Without LOVE, it’s impossible to do consistently. Read this article about “Teaching kids how to show real love to others.” It’s great!
• Use the MecKidz Mission: Every month we design a brand new mission to serve. They are affordable and easy for families with kids (even as young as 3).
• Model It: Serve WITH your kids. Include them when you serve others. Make it a family thing.
• Reward It: Serving doesn’t have to be painful. MAKE IT FUN! Go out for ice cream afterward or give a special treat. While enjoying the treat, ask “How did it feel to do something kind for someone else? What kind of positive impact did you just make in that person’s life? How does God feel about what you just did?”
• Let MecKidz Reward It: When you complete a MecKidz Mission, snap a pic to prove it and send it to us using this link and we will give your child a reward for serving Jesus! 

Make September the month you make serving others a family habit.

Works Cited: statistics on this topic came from Mental Health America.

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