If you suffer from depression, you certainly know how being isolated can increase feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and even mania. The same rings true for children. If your child is depressed and isolates themselves constantly, they need something new. 

One of the biggest concerns with children today is how isolated they become due to technology. Kids become fascinated with television, movies, online games, and so much more that may be fun but ultimately ends in them isolating themselves from others. 

This is why getting your kids active is so crucial. We asked local Oklahoma daycare providers

When we are young, we begin to develop habits, likes, and beliefs that stick with us throughout our lives. This all begins and ends with getting children to socialize early.

How to Explain Depression to a Child

Consider a time when you have been isolated and the effect that it had on you. Explain how isolation made you feel to your child. Then, explain how interacting with your husband/wife, friends, or family made it better. By providing an example, you’re simply engaging with your child in a form of storytelling that will captivate them. 

They will begin to understand how isolation works and how friends and family make you feel good. Then, equate that good feeling to a bad feeling, and tell your child how that can turn into something worse. Then, compare that feeling to the best feeling in the world. You’ve just explained depression and euphoria to your child. 

How to Help a Child With Depression

Ask simple questions. “Are you sleeping okay?”, “How long were you playing video games for?” “Who would you want to play with today?”, etc. Depending on your child’s answer to any of these simple questions, you can begin to determine if they’re depressed. 

Let’s say that your child says that they aren’t sleeping well. You can ask follow-up questions like the ones stated earlier. If you begin to get a sense that they’re isolating themselves, you should first explain to them what isolation is. After doing so, you can explain the importance of not isolating.

Now it’s time to tell your child how to achieve the sensation of happiness. This is much more important than explaining how NOT to get depressed. Children don’t like hearing the word “no”, but they love hearing how to do something that will make them happy. You need to walk a fine line here. 

But, if you explain how great daycare was for you, you’ll be well on your way to helping your depressed/isolated child by getting them in daycare and interacting with others.

How Daycare Helps a Depressed Child

Daycare gets children involved with one another. More often than not, the root of depression stems from isolation. When a child is isolated, they begin to develop feelings of loneliness which can evolve into hopelessness. 

This is why enrolling a child in daycare is so vital. Not only will your child get to interact with others, but they will also bond over similar interests and begin to make friends that they can enjoy spending time with.

Daycare serves as a place where children first begin to socialize. Imagine if your child misses out on daycare and enters grade school without social skills? 

This will only perpetuate depression and make them not want to even bother trying to interact with others. 

In short, child care can be a cornerstone of the developmental process of interacting with others and making friends. By getting your child to socialize at a young age, they will grow up wanting to be around others. 

This means that they will make lasting friendships with people who can actually help when they begin to truly understand what depression can feel like. 

For more information, check out Wonderschool and how we are shifting the dynamic of childcare!