Our bodies send us messages all the time- but we don’t always listen.
It’s easy to get so caught up in our day that we sometimes forget to look after ourselves, but your body knows what you need. Headaches can be a sign you’re dehydrated, while a rumbly tummy reminds you to take a break and refuel.
As adults, we have learned to decipher our bodies messages over time, but kids might not always have the same level of understanding of their bodies messages as we do.
Not having awareness of your body can make feelings like anxiety and anger much harder to deal with. Being scared is bad enough for a child but having the shaky hands and rapid heartbeat to go along with it can make these feelings even more terrifying.
The good news is, the more kids are aware of the messages their bodies are sending them, the better equipped they will be to recognise and manage their emotions.
That’s why our new Wellness update is putting heart rate and fitness data in easy reach on the Spacetalk app map screen, to help parents start the conversation with their child about emotional and body awareness.
Let’s run through how heart rate and fitness data can reveal a lot about your child’s overall level of wellbeing.
What does the map screen show?
The map screen brings together data from three key areas:
• Heart rate
• Step count
• Most recent Feelings emoji
These specific metrics can reveal a lot about your child is feeling, especially if they’re too young or still learning to express their emotions.
How can this data be interpreted?
Consider the following examples:
A high heart rate and low step might mean your child is anxious and not moving around as much.
A high heart rate and high step count could mean they’re running around having a great time with friends.
A lower heart rate with a low step count could be a sign your child is sad and not joining in with other kids in the playground.
No one knows your child better than you. The data is there for you to make your own interpretations and form an opinion based on the knowledge you have on your child.
How can this be helpful?
Having heart rate and fitness data in one place makes it much easier to see how your child is faring throughout their day.
If you check in and see your child’s heartrate is high, a simple text to see how their day is going might be the thing they need to get back into their day feeling happier and comforted.
Over time, you will gain an understanding of what heart rate and step count is average for your child on a day-to-day basis, making it easier to notice when something is irregular.
Measuring this data is also a great way to teach kids about how their body reacts to certain emotions, helping them gain a better understanding of what emotions feel like in the body.
This in turn can help them recognise and label emotions, developing all-important emotional awareness, a skill that helps in many different areas from dealing with conflict to making friends.
The wellness features are currently available on Spacetalk devices purchased through the Spacetalk online store and approved retail partners only. Spacetalk is a consumer grade general wellness device, not a certified medical device. Spacetalk wellness features are not intended for medical diagnostics. The information provided in this website or the Spacetalk mobile application is not a substitute for obtaining proper professional care or services. You should seek independent advice from a medical professional as required.