Children's Mental Health Week - 2021

1st - 7th of February was Children’s Mental Health Week and the theme this year was Express Yourself. In school, we asked children to think about the things that they do that allow them to express who they are – this may be something creative or sporty or anything that they choose to do that they enjoy. Those children working from home also had the opportunity to participate by creating a picture and uploading it to their Google Classroom. It is more important than ever that we support children’s mental health – should you wish to find out more about Children’s Mental Health Week 2021 please follow the link below.

Support for parents/carers during the Coronavirus outbreak

Link to DfE document entitled: 

Guidance for parents/carers on supporting children and young people's mental health and well being during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Free resource explaining Covid to younger children.

Activities for the Summer Holidays

Selfcare Summer - Primary Pack

Resources for dealing with the effects of lockdown

Coping with anxiety

At some point in their lives all children will feel anxious or fearful of something. This is particularly relevant at the moment with the current Coronavirus outbreak and may also apply to adults. Within this section there is some information on anxiety and some activities that may help. 

Structure and Routine

When children are in school there is a great deal of structure and stability - at home this is not always the case and this can lead to negative behaviours, conflict and anxiety. Creating a visual timetable is a great way of creating the structure needed. Where possible, they should be created with the child allowing them to choose which activities they would like to do first - this will give them ownership over their day. Remember to include breaks and some exercise time and activities that they enjoy doing. It may be that you will need to create a new timetable each day to mix it up a bit. Some examples of timetable are included below for you to try but there are plenty available online which you can personalise for your child. Also included are some reward charts that may prove useful.

Tips for families

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice about living in the moment. The focus is brought to the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing. With children the goal of mindfulness is to help them move beyond thoughts that may be draining, negative or worrisome.

Below are some mindfulness coloring sheets for you to use at home and some brain break breathing activities.

Activities for home

Links to helpful websites

Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Policy

Relaxation techniques

Tips to help children sleep