It’s shocking to hear how much the COVID-19 lockdown has affected the mental health of all generations. One of the most vulnerable age groups are young children, especially between the formative years of 3 and 13.

In fact, early results from the Co-SPACE (COVID-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents, and Children in Epidemics) study, led by experts at the Oxford University, showed that parents and carers of children aged 4-10 years old reported that over a one-month span in lockdown:  “saw increases in their child’s emotional difficulties, such as feeling unhappy, worried, being clingy and experiencing physical symptoms associated with worry”.

It’s not just two-parent children who are suffering. Single parents also have also faced increasing challenges which has led them to reach out for support on various helplines and forums. One of these, The Gingerbread charity saw a large spike in the number of single parents who needed support (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (29 April, 2020) ‘Covid-19 and the rights of persons with disabilities: guidance’)

It’s clear that a solution needs to be found that is effective, inexpensive and takes the load off of the NHS and other organisations that are currently being overwhelmed with the increasing mental health demands of the nation.

According to a Citizens’ Jury member:

“I run an entirely women’s organisation, and the majority of us have got school-aged children or other caring responsibilities. And all the kind of homeschooling, furlough, or this, that, it’s like a logistical absolute nightmare, and it really brings home to me that the people making the policies are not having to think about those kind of things.”

It’s so crazy to think that these issues seem to have been forgotten or not even talked about in the media. Even though there are plenty of studies and surveys that have been done, which shows actual evidence that children need mental health support as well as their parents and other parts of the population, not much is being done to help those that really need help.

Professor Cathy Creswell, Professor of Developmental Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford, and co-leading the study, said: 

“Prioritising the mental health of children and young people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond is critical.”

“… we need to continue to gain a better understanding of which families are struggling and what they need to help direct the right advice and support going forward to ensure that this does not have long-lasting consequences.”

The truth is, there is a potential solution, and it’s not what you may think…

Ella Parry, a talented illustrator, created a brand called Little Curly and designed the Happy Kids Affirmation Cards to empower kids ages 3 – 13 to increase their confidence, self-esteem, and create a positive, healthy & successful future.

You can check out how they work here:

#hexometer-broken-link-repair-https://littlecurly.com/mummylauretta/

Little Curly was featured in Cosmopolitan HongKong and backed by celebrities such as Tennis Legend, Pat Cash, Wimbledon Men’s Singles Champion.

No doubt, affirmations have been used for as long as anyone can remember, but with today’s science and research, it’s increasingly evident that they are beneficial for all ages, especially for kids whose brains are still developing. Here are some of the benefits:

There is MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks (Cascio et al., 2016). Self-affirmations have also been shown to decrease health-deteriorating stress (Sherman et al., 2009; Critcher & Dunning, 2015);

One of the parents who gave Happy Kids Affirmation Cards to their kids recently shared an experience using them:

“India and Lewis pick a card every morning before leaving for school and read their chosen affirmation in the car journey and keep it in mind for the whole day!”

“Both India and Lewis can’t wait every morning to pick their new card and to see how best they can apply it in their day”

“Lewis Age 5 picked ‘I can make it’ last week and knew straight away that if he struggled with his work at school that day, he should keep trying until he understood it! His parents were so pleased that he managed to interpret the card in that way!”

They quote: “It’s the best children’s positive tool they’ve seen on the market yet and the most used children’s ‘toy’ they’ve bought for their kids”

When you support Little Curly on Kickstarter, not only do you get 20% off the retail price, but you’ll also be supporting and joining a cause that can potentially transform millions of children’s lives in the future, all around the world.

You’ll also be eligible for exclusive kickstarter-only products and custom personalized prizes.

Support Little Curly and her mission here:

#hexometer-broken-link-repair-https://littlecurly.com/mummylauretta/

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