This week we are doing Mental Health Workshops with all classes to focus in on self-care strategies that help us when our feelings get big. They also are great to practice each week to keep our mental wellbeing positive and healthy.

We are practicing repeating back positive affirmations – this is an easy one to do at home too.

We are reminding ourselves that our brains are amazing and all feelings are OK if we have strategies for when we feel certain ways.

Some of the strategies we are practicing include: meditation and relaxation (try Moshikids or the Smiling minds app – they have lots of free age appropriate examples you can try at home), distraction (we’re making different scented playdoughs) and reflecting – drawing and writing our feelings, worries and what we are thankful for (and posting ours to the worry monsters).

Each child is also taking home a gift bag from us to remind them of this and prioritise looking after their minds.

Hopefully even chatting about this with your children will open up these conversations even further – here is some advice about talking to your child about mental health to make it that bit easier too.