Parent Resources

General Resources for Parents and Caregivers

• Family Resources – Family Compass
• Well-Being Resources for children – Heart-Mind Online

Encouraging Healthy Physical Activity

• Globe and Mail – Kids and Physical Activity
• Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology  – Guidelines for 12 -17
• Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology  – 24 Hour Guidelines
• Government of Canada – Tips to get active

Promoting Positive Mental Health

• Mental Health and Well-being Resources from the WRDSB – Health and Well-Being
• WRDSB Resource List – Resource List for Parents
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – Mental Health vs. Mental Illness
• Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington – Road map for Parents
• Right By You – Communicating with your Teen
• Here 24/7 – Portal for mental health

Resiliency, stress and anxiety

Tips for helping children and teens build resilience and manage anxiety: from the

• American Psychological Association –Resiliency guide for parents and teachers
• Kids Health – Childhood stress
• The Anxiety Disorders Association of British Columbia – Anxiety…can totally suck!
• Offord Centre for Child Studies – Anxiety problems in children and adolescents
• Harvard Graduate School of Education – What do anxious teens need?
• Teens can be Resilient – A Parent Guide
• Teens can be Resilient in High School – A Parent Guide

Bullying and peer conflict

Here are some resources for parents and caregivers on bullying prevention and intervention:

• Ministry of Education – Bullying: We can all help stop it
• The Red Cross – Preventing bullying: Tips for parents
• The Red Cross – How to help: A youth perspective on bullying (video)
• PREVNet – What parents need to know
• Stop Bullying Now – Advice for parents and guardians
• Edutopia – Empowering students to curb bullying

Safe internet use and creating a positive digital footprint

Resources on appropriate and inappropriate use of the internet, social media and digital technology:

• Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy – Media smarts
• PREVNet – Parenting in a digital age
• Canadian Centre for Child Protection – Internet safety
• Cyberbullying Research Center – Cyberbullying fact sheet
• Ontario Women’s Justice Network – Sexting and the law

Internet Gaming Disorder

• Psychology Today – Internet Gaming Disorder Article
  

Communicating with your teen

Ideas for how to better communicate with your teen:

• Child Mind Institute – Tips for communicating with teens
• Psychology Today – 9 Tips for Communicating With Your Teenage Son

Social and Emotional Learning

• CASEL  – Social / Emotional Learning
• CASEL – Social / Emotional Learning Skills
• Edutopia – Social / Emotional Learning Parent Resources

Cultivating Care and Empathy

• Greater Good Science Center  – Raising Kind Kids
• Harvard Graduate School of Education – Raising Caring Children
• Harvard Graduate School of Education – Cultivating Empathy
• Cultivating Kindness and Compassion in Children – Cultivating Kindness and Compassion

Self-Regulation

•  Importance of Developing Self-Regulation – Developing Self Regulation
• Parent Map – Self Regulation in Tweens and Teens
• Harvard Graduate School of Education – Activities to Keep Organized
• Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation – Promoting Self-Regulation in Teens

Eating Disorders

Information for families wanting to better understand Eating Disorders and related behaviour:

• National Eating Disorder Information Centre – Know the facts
• Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo-Wellington – Services for eating disorders
• Waterloo-Wellington Eating Disorders Coalition – Advocacy and services
• Eating Disorders in Males – Eating Disorder Hope

Promoting Positive Body Image

• Mayo Clinic – Tips for Girls
• Kids Health – Encouraging Healthy Body Image
• Kids Help Phone – Body Image Info for Teens
• Healthy Bodies Curriculum – 10 Lessons
• Healthy Bodies Curriculum  – Toxic Cultural Myths

Healthy relationships, consent and sexual relationships

Research shows that parent-child communication about sexual health encourages positive behaviour. Here are some resources to help:

• The Region of Waterloo – The talk: A parents guide
• Leicestershire County Council – What consent looks like (video)
• Harvard University – The Talk: How Adults Can Promote Young People’s Healthy Relationships
• Amaze.org – What makes a relationship healthy (video)

E-Cigarette and Tobacco Use

• Canadian Paediatric Society – Dangers of E-cigarettes for children and youth
• Canadian Paediatric Society – Smoking and Youth
• University of Waterloo – Vaping
• Centre for Disease Control – Tobacco and Teens
• Mayo Clinic – Quitting smoking for Teens

Drug and alcohol use

• Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy – Preventing substance use
• Kids Health – Talking to your child about drugs
• Harvard Health Publications and HelpGuide.org – Teenage drinking
• WRDSB – Talking to your child about opioids use
• Centre for Addition and Mental Health – Opioids: What you need to know
• School Mental Health Assist – Cannabis Information
• Drug Free Kids Canada – Drug Free Kids Canada

Self-harm

Resources and information about why some youth self-harm and how you can help your child:

• Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – What you need to know
• The Canadian Mental Health Association  – Youth and self injury

Suicide

Information to help you understand the issue of suicide and learn about suicide prevention:

• Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council – Preventing suicide
• National Association of School Psychologists – Preventing youth suicide
• The Right by You – Support teen mental health

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and more (LGBTQ+)

Information for families of students who identify as LGBTQ+, who are unsure of how they identify and who want to serve as allies of LGBTQ+ students:

• K-W Counselling – OK2BME