The physical and emotional well-being of children and teens involved with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston (BGCGH) is of paramount importance. The nonprofit continues to serve as a community resource to provide guidance for parents and children who may be struggling with a higher degree of stress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which can affect a person’s emotional and mental health.

“We know that lower income families and people of color, which include many of the families we serve, are especially vulnerable during this time due to lack of resources,” says Kevin Hattery, President and CEO. “Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston instituted wellness check-ins a few months ago, with more than 11,000 families contacted. This helped us identify that food insecurity and job loss have led to increased stress and anxiety and spurred us to develop several hunger-related initiatives to serve our constituents.”

Regarding mental well-being, Hattery and his team of youth development professionals recommend regular “emotional check-ins” between parents or guardians and their children and/or teens. One can incorporate emotional check-ins into the daily schedule of activities, which can be formal and structured, or informal and “on the fly.”

Here are five easy emotional check-in ideas to add to your parenting arsenal. In each of these exercises, the child can choose to explain and elaborate on his or her ranking, or not.

Internal Weather Report: Ask kids, “If your mood were the weather, what would it be?” For example, if one is angry it could be a thunderstorm, or if one is happy it could be sunny. Give them a chance to think, then share their mood.

Feelings 1-10: Ask kids, “Rank your mood today on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst mood and 10 being the best.”

Pop Culture: Ask youth, “If your current mood were a song or movie, what would it be?” For example, if you are having a great day your song could be “Happy” by Pharrell, or if you feel grumpy, your movie could be “The Grinch.” Ask them to share thoughts when they are ready.

Highs & Lows: Ask youth to think of their “high and low” of the day – this is the best thing that they experienced during the day, and the worst thing that they experienced during the day. Give them a chance to reflect, then share.

Rose, Bud, Thorn: Ask youth to think of their “rose, bud and thorn” of the day – this is the best thing that happened to them during the day (rose), something they’re looking forward to (bud) and the worst thing that happened to them today (thorn). Again, give them a chance to think, then share their mood.

Youth need to know that it is okay to feel how they are feeling – everyone experiences a range of emotions every day. It is normal to feel sad, excited, angry, calm or nervous multiple times a day. What matters is how youth cope with these feelings, especially during times of uncertainty.

BGCGH addresses emotional health during summer programming at select Clubs in the Greater Houston area, which operate with smaller groups in settings that employ safety protocols for Covid-19. Club leaders work with kids on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), in which they acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions and make responsible decisions.

For more information on how to be a part of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston or to learn about programs, go to www.bgcgh.org.