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

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.

To help and support others, we need to start with ourselves. This document includes ideas, links to resources and activities to support staff wellbeing. Teachers are our heroes. During lockdown, they have adapted to teaching children remotely, worked tirelessly to support the children they teach, and have prepared for a sensitive transition back to school to reduce stress and anxiety for the children. It is important to remember that Covid-19 and the lockdown will also have had an effect on the mental health and wellbeing of all members of the school staff. Similar measures should be put into place to support them as well as the children. This resource includes tips for senior leaders, to help them support the wellbeing of their staff during the return to school. Using this resource This resource is designed for: use by senior leaders in schools 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.

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

Sentence starters can be useful prompts for children who are struggling to order their thinking or express the way the feel. Children and young people can use them to communicate verbally or to write down their thoughts and feelings. They can also be used to encourage students to identify actions they can take to support their wellbeing. Prior to using this resource with a child, please read through our guidance for delivering short activities, to ensure you have a good understanding of how to use the resources safely.

Use this tool to action plan support for separation anxiety throughout the first term back at school and beyond. The coronavirus lockdown has meant that children have spent a significantly increased amount of time with their families, and a return to school may mean an increase in anxiety for some pupils. Some children may be more nervous about being separated from their parents or carers than they normally would. Parents and carers may also feel anxious about being away from their children. This resource includes an example action plan with some ideas to reduce separation anxiety, and then a blank plan for you to fill in. You could to work through this as a whole staff group or individually, to help you think through how best to support your pupils.

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.

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

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.

Free, practical resources for primary schools, to help pupils feel calm and confident towards the end of Autumn term. There are also practical resources to boost staff wellbeing over the winter break, and a selection of free helplines and counselling services to signpost to for support. For more primary mental health resources visit www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk

There are a number of ways that school leaders and senior staff can approach supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing. This document provides 10 top tips for making mental health a whole-school priority. For more primary mental health resources visit www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk

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.

This activity uses the idea of puzzles to help children think about what makes them unique, and the role they play in your school community. Following lockdown, your pupils and staff may feel like their school community is a bit fragmented. It is natural, in the circumstances, for some people to feel slightly anxious about returning to school or coping with the changes to school routine. These activities, along with the accompanying assembly, should support the children to feel a sense of belonging and understand their place in the school, hopefully bringing a renewed feeling of unity and community along with positivity about being back at school. Using this resource 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. This resource is designed for: children aged 3 to 11 use with whole classes Curriculum links England - PSHE Living in the wider world Pupils learn: • about the different roles and responsibilities people have in their community (KS1) • to value the different contributions that people and groups make to the community (KS2) Northern Ireland - Personal Development and Mutual Understanding• Personal Understanding and Health Pupils should be enabled to explore: • themselves and their personal attributes; (Foundation) • their self–esteem and self-confidence; (KS1) • their self-esteem, self-confidence and how they develop as individuals; (KS2) Mutual Understanding in the local and wider community Pupils should be enabled to explore: • learning to live as a member of a community; (Foundation) • developing themselves as members of a community (KS1) playing an active and meaningful part in the life of the community and being concerned about the wider environment. (KS2) Wales – Health and Wellbeing Statement 5 - Healthy relationships are fundamental to our well-being. Scotland - Health and Wellbeing Social Wellbeing • I recognise that each individual has a unique blend of abilities and needs. I contribute to making my school community one which values individuals equally and is a welcoming place for all. • Through contributing my views, time and talents, I play a part in bringing about positive change in my school and wider community.

The coronavirus lockdown has meant that children have spent a significantly increased amount of time with their families. Some may be feeling anxious about returning to school each day. We have created some tools to help you support your child with any anxiety they might be feeling, including top tips, an example action plan and some activities to support you and your child. Using this resource This resource is designed for: use by parents with their children There is a blank action plan included for you to fill in. You can work through these with your child so they feel informed about the return to school. 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.

This simple template can be used by anyone to identify unhelpful or negative thoughts, and try to reframe them in order to reduce their feelings of distress or anxiety. We all have negative thoughts and may get into patterns of negative thinking. In challenging times, 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. Recognising these thoughts and re-framing them is a way of training our brain reduce anxiety and over-thinking. Using this resource This resource is designed for: use by school staff 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.

The next school term or year may feel unusual or strange for lots of children, but by working together, schools and parents can help to reduce any anxieties children may have. We have put together some quick tips and guidance for parents, to help support children’s transition back to school following Covid-19. Using this resource This resource is designed for use by: parents of primary-aged 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.

Learn how to use the resources on Mentally Healthy Schools with your child by following our simple guidance. Some of our Mentally Healthy Schools resources are suitable to be used by parents, with the support of the school. They may not be suitable for all children, so particular care should be taken for children who have experienced particularly difficult circumstances or emotions, for example those who have been through a life-changing experience (such as bereavement), may be experiencing severe mental health problems or may have a history of trauma. Please seek further support from your school and your GP, if you are concerned. Activities that focus on emotions can increase our sense of awareness of our thoughts and feelings, so it is important to remind children of the support systems that are available, in and out of school, if they need to speak about something.

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.

Download the Mentally Healthy Schools free toolkit about internet safety, packed full of practical teaching resources for primary school staff. The toolkit includes lesson plans, videos, quizzes, animations, assembly plans and information and guidance. It covers topics such as cyberbullying, gaming, social media, website use and other online risks. Find more resources at www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk

A free toolkit with resources and tips to help support the mental health and wellbeing of school staff, parents, carers and children. In this toolkit you will find: resources for staff wellbeing, including carers and headteachers, resources to help communicate the coronavirus outbreak to children with SEND and responding to the unique challenges that may arise for vulnerable children. There are also some further resources to help manage anxiety and improve wellbeing. #coronavirus #covid19 #covid-19