Celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week 2023 and this year’s theme of ‘let’s connect’ with our free toolkit of resources for secondary and FE settings. Children’s Mental Health Week starts on 6th February, and this year the theme is ‘let’s connect’, looking at the importance that connections with others have on our mental health. Healthy relationships with family, friends and others are vital for young people’s wellbeing, offering a strong protective factor against poor mental health. Connections within a school or college setting are also very important – students should feel that they belong to, and are a valued part of, a school or college community. Their relationships with adults in the school or college should be positive, consistent, and based on trust and mutual respect. In this toolkit, we’re sharing free resources to help you explore the theme of connections with your students, and celebrate the week in your setting.

Celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week 2023 and this year’s theme of ‘let’s connect’ with our free toolkits of resources for primary, secondary and FE settings. Children’s Mental Health Week starts on 6th February, and this year the theme is ‘let’s connect’, looking at the importance that connections with others have on our mental health. Healthy relationships with family, friends and others are vital for children’s wellbeing, offering a strong protective factor against poor mental health. Connections within a school setting are also very important – pupils should feel that they belong to, and are a valued part of, a school community. Their relationships with adults in the school should be positive, consistent, and based on trust and mutual respect. In this toolkit, we’re sharing free resources to help you explore the theme of connections with your pupils, and celebrate the week in your setting.

CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES: WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY TOOLKIT The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘mental health for all’. In this toolkit, we’ve created and curated a set of resources focusing on inclusivity and celebrating our differences. The resources are designed to help you support your pupils who may need more help with their mental health, and celebrate the unique and different qualities each child brings to your school community. The toolkit is split into two sections: ‘The same but different’ resource set We’ve created a set of resources all about celebrating diversity and difference. There’s an assembly plan, tips from teachers, and three lesson plans for different age groups (children aged 4 to 5, 5 to 8 and 9 to 11). You can use these resources in the week leading up to World Mental Health Day, to help you create a mentally healthy culture in your school. Further resources to support diverse groups of children We have also collected together resources to be delivered to, or inform your work with, groups of children who may need more support with their mental health. There are resources included for: LGBTQ+ children Children from ethnic minority groups Refugee and asylum seeker children Looked-after children Young carers

This simple activity will show children how to reframe their thinking around a negative situation, and look for positive ways to view the situation. We all have negative thoughts and may get into patterns of negative thinking. In times of distress, these may occur more frequently, and it is easy to be self-critical and focus on the negative thoughts. Sometimes we might catastrophise a situation, making it seem worse than it really is, or we might blame ourselves for things out of our control. This resource may be a useful tool for children to use once they have returned to school after the coronavirus lockdown. Using this resource This resource is designed for: Children aged 4 to 11 Use with individual children This resource forms part of our rebuild and recover set of resources, designed to help schools come back together and support their pupils’ wellbeing after lockdown. Northern Ireland - Personal Development and Mutual Understanding England - RSHE Wales & Scotland - Health and Wellbeing

BRAIN BREAKS: HELPING CHILDREN SETTLE BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM Following lockdown, your students may find it difficult to return to the formality of sitting at desks and concentrating for longer periods of time. To reduce this restlessness, intersperse your lessons with brain breaks, which are short bursts of activity to keep their brain and body active. We have suggest 8 different brain breaks for you to try in this resource. You can begin these more frequently, gradually reducing throughout the term as the children re-adapt to their regular routine. Using this resource This resource is designed for: children aged 7 to 11 use by whole classes This resource forms part of our rebuild and recover set of resources, designed to help schools come back together and support their pupils’ wellbeing after lockdown.

A resource to support children to reflect on the changes that have occurred over the last few months due to Coronavirus. Some children may find the transition back to school difficult after lockdown. It may be useful in the first few weeks of school to reflect on the lockdown period. This resource helps children think about what they have experienced and cope with the changes that have occurred.

This appreciation circle activity encourages children to appreciate positive attributes and qualities in everyone, recognising differences and similarities and building friendships. An appreciation circle may be a useful activity for supporting a particular child with self-esteem issues, or a good activity for the whole class to complete together. This resource is designed for: children aged 4 to 11 use with a whole class or small groups For more resources, go to www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk

These printable templates, split up by age, use the concept of superheroes to encourage children to explore their own superpowers, qualities and talents. There are three templates included, designed for children aged 4 to 5, 5 to 7 and 7 to 11. What the children create could then be shared with their next teacher as a transition activity or kept to reflect on their strengths. This resource is designed for: children aged 4-11 use with individual children, small groups or whole classes For more resources, go to www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

The three activities outlined in this resource are designed to help children explore their emotions and feelings, and think about the situations that might trigger those emotions. The activities included in this resource are: an emotion exploration activity sheet a matching pairs activity, where pupils are asked to match situations with emotions an emotion chart, where children can track how emotions change and develop over the course of a story or real-life situation This resource is designed for: children aged 5 to 11 use with a whole class, in small groups, in pairs or on an individual basis Prior to delivering any of the following activities, please read the Mentally Healthy Schools guidance for teaching staff on delivering mental health activities. For more resources, go to www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

This simple board game explores common scenarios that children may encounter in their day-to-day life at home or at school, and the resilience they may need for tackling them. When children land on different squares of the board, they will pick up a card. The card will either explain a scenario which demonstrates resilience, or it will give them an opportunity to make a choice from three options. they may move forward two spaces, one space, or stay where they are depending on how much resilience their choice displays. Through the game, the children should begin to develop an understanding of resilience in common situations which they can then apply to their own lives. This resource is designed for: Children aged 4+ Use in pairs or small groups We have included cut-out counters and a six-sided die in this resource, or you may want to use your own. For more resources, go to www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

This resource teaches children about resilience and the steps they may need to take to achieve their goals. The ladder format is designed to break down goals into smaller, achievable steps, and develop a growth mindset in children. Breaking down a goal in this way helps children realise that it is how we process and deal with setbacks that let us develop resilience. This resource is designed for: children aged 4+ use with individual children The resource includes a blank resilience ladder for you to work through the child with, as well as an example that they can refer to if needed. For more resources, go to www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

This is a two-week calendar with daily mindfulness activity suggestions. The simple, short activities encourage children to focus on what’s around them to find a sense of calm. These simple mindfulness activities are designed to help pupils relax physically and emotionally. Pupils should be encouraged to do them regularly with the support of an adult, and when confident can independently practice as part of their self care plan. This resource is designed for: children aged 3 and up use with individual children, small groups or whole classes The activities within the calendar will take approximately five minutes and can be done at home or in school. You can display this poster in your classroom or staff room, and use the accompany guidance for instructions on how to deliver the activities. You can run these activities whenever you like, for example at the start of lessons, or after playtime, to help ground and relax the children.

Brain breaks are mental and physical activities to break up a period of concentration. These brain breaks may be particular useful after spending long periods sitting or using technology. The brain break may be relaxing or energizing, but they are always intended to get the body and mind going and help children focus once they return to normal classroom activities. Using this resource This resource is designed for: children of all ages use with a whole class Depending of the age of the children, the brain breaks could be used every hour or less for around five minutes. Try to use a variety, and fit them well to the mood and situation. For example, you should choose an active brain break if the previous activity is sedentary, or a maths-related one if you have been studying a different topic. For more resoures, go to www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 and the theme of kindness, we are encouraging primary schools to get mentally healthy by spreading a little kindness. This calendar, designed to be used throughout Mental Health Awareness Week, encourages pupils to do two acts of kindness each day – one to someone else and one to themselves. This resource is designed for: children aged 4-11 use with individual children, in pairs or as a whole class Depending on the age of the children, there are two calendars included. One has a suggested kindness activity for each day, which is best for giving to younger children, or using as an example for older children. The other calendar is blank for children to complete with their own ideas.

Help your pupils prepare for a new class or school with this assembly, which uses the concept of going on a trip to get them thinking about what they might need for their new adventure. This resource is designed for: Children aged 5 to 11 Whole classes or year groups To run this assembly, we would suggest using some props, like: A suitcase A passport or a photo of one Some suncream Sunglasses A guidebook Some items that aren’t suitable for a summer holiday, like hiking boots or a thick jumper You’ll also need a whiteboard or flipchart paper. This assembly can be used in conjunction with our transition passport resource. Find more activities at www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

This passport activity encourages children to select and present their most relevant characteristics and features to share with their new teacher to support their transition. Transition activities are a great way to support children in the progression through their academic life. This passport activity will help their teacher understand more about their future students and their experiences in school. In light of the coronavirus crisis, many children may be unable to have the chance to complete their last year of school as planned. They may not be able to visit their new school and teachers as they would usually. We have made this resource editable to allow children to complete this digitally at home, so it can be sent electronically to their new teacher or school. Using the resource This resource is designed for use with: Children aged 5 to 11 With whole classes Find more activities at www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

This ‘snowball fight’ activity is a fun way for children to recognise positive qualities and attributes of themselves and others. Using this resource This resource is designed for: children of all ages use with small groups or a whole class You will need one sheet of paper (ideally scrap paper) per child. Depending on the size of the group, this activity could take 10-20 minutes. Find more resources at www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

These tools are designed to help children understand and manage their emotions and feelings, and stay calm and in control in the classroom. There are three tools included in this resource: a coping skills wheel, to give children different strategies for coping with difficult situations a strengths and weaknesses chart and control circle, to help children understand their own strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for development a focus plan, to help children stay calm and focused in the classroom Using this resource This resource is designed for: children aged 7 and up use with individual pupils Find more resources at www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources

In our 7th coronavirus toolkit, focusing on managing transitions and preparing children for change, there are lots of free, quality-assured resources for school staff, parents and carers and children. The toolkit is packed full of practical activities, guidance, an assembly plan, tips, videos and booklets to help children transition to primary school or to transition from primary to secondary school. For more coronavirus toolkits and other resources, head to www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk

Our sixth coronavirus toolkit is full of resilience-building resources for children, school staff and parents and carers. When we experience sudden or unsettling change, one thing that can help us cope is resilience. Resilience helps us deal with the emotions a new situation may cause, and helps us bounce back from difficulties we might encounter. Being resilient is an emotional skill and is something we can develop and build, both as children and as adults. The resources in this toolkit are all about resilience and coping with change, which we hope will be useful for children, school staff and parents and carers alike. As some schools prepare to see more pupils return, building and nurturing resilience will be more important than ever. Suitable for: early years children Key Stage 1 pupils Key Stage 2 pupils school staff parents and carers. Find more coronavirus resources and toolkits on Mentally Healthy Schools.