Children’s Mental Health Week is a great opportunity to get everyone in your school talking about mental health and wellbeing. To help start discussions about this year’s theme of ‘finding your brave’ we have put together some free books and classroom activities to use with your class during the week.
Start children’s mental health week by encouraging your class to find their brave this week by trying something new – with the focus on the courage taken to try something new, rather than how good they are. At the end of the week, use the cards from Wellbeing and Attitudes to Learning to talk about the importance of resilience and celebrate how bravery comes in all shapes and sizes.
As with adults, it is often easy for children to focus on things that go wrong when they try something new or attempt something they find difficult. Using this lesson plan from Character Education, encourage your pupils to show bravery by trying something new this week, regardless of how big or small it may seem.
Help children understand the emotions they may feel when they try something new with this extract from Kids Can Cope: Put Your Worries Away.
As part of a school project, Jo is recording ways to be happy and overcome stress and worry. Children can follow her experiences, as she completes her How to be Happy Scrapbook.
No one can be the best at everything – but you can be your best YOU! If you have the right attitude to everything you do, you will increase your happiness and well-being. By reading this book you will learn how to: • celebrate the things you’re good at • learn from your mistakes • follow in the footsteps of successful people like J.K. Rowling and Lionel Messi, who had difficulties but never gave up • use ‘growth mindset’ to achieve your goals and stay positive!
Making friends and talking to new people at school can be a nerve wracking experience for many children. Using the A New Friend activity, talk to your class about finding their brave and encourage children to talk and play with new people in the playground this week.