Mental Health and Well-being
St Helens School Nursing Team
Mental Health & Well-Being and Resilience
In England, 1 in 8 five to 19-year-olds have some form of mental health (well-being) problem. This means that it is very likely that there will be children with mental health (well-being) difficulties in our school. At St Bart’s we are committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of our children and our families. We recognise that positive mental health is just as important as good physical health. We understand that children’s mental health is an important factor in helping them to achieve and succeed now and in later life. Our PSHE curriculum is designed to help all children reach their full potential from an academic and emotional point of view. Our school is committed to supporting our children to express their feelings and emotions, to promote good self-esteem, to develop resilience and to help children develop socially to form healthy relationships.
In addition to the work we do in school to support positive mental well-being resources can be found here:
www.annafreud.org/parents-and-carers/
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/
https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk/
Other resources:
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is when we pay attention to the here and now, it helps to calm our minds and focus our thought processes. There are lots of positive results from practising mindfulness, it reduces stress, improves concentration levels and helps you to feel more content. Some good mindfulness activities and websites can be found here:
https://www.teachstarter.com/gb/blog/classroom-mindfulness-activities-for-children-gb/
https://annakaharris.com/mindfulness-for-children/
https://www.teachstarter.com/gb/blog/classroom-mindfulness-activities-for-children-gb/
Mindfulness colouring sheets:
https://www.teachingideas.co.uk/2d-art/mindfulness-colouring-images-animals
https://www.bestcoloringpagesforkids.com/mindfulness-coloring-pages.html
Self-Esteem
Having good self-esteem helps us to feel good about ourselves. Self-esteem will help our children to have the courage to try new things, to value themselves and to respect and value the feelings of others. Self-esteem resources and ideas can be found here:
https://www.kidsplayandcreate.com/self-esteem-character-building-activities-for-kids/
http://www.plantlovegrow.com/self-esteem.html
Exercise:
Regular exercise is known to have lots of mental health benefits. It releases endorphins that help us to concentrate along with improving our general mood. Exercise can also improve our self-confidence and it helps us to improve the quality of our sleep. Here are some good links for exercising at home with children:
Yoga: https://www.cosmickids.com/
Joe Wicks daily PE lessons: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ?safe=true
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers
Get kids moving: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCokO71NW3TgndaSNyHIqwtQ
