It’s Children’s Mental Health Week next week, and it’s more important than ever this year.
With several lockdowns, social distancing measures, ever-changing coronavirus (COVID-19) guidelines and prolonged absences from school having such a detrimental affect on the mental health and wellbeing of children, this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week has a particular resonance.
And so former primary school teacher Laura Steele – of education experts PlanBee – has gathered together week’s worth of fantastic free resources all in one downloadable pack for parents / carers / guardians to use during the homeschooling day to help children explore their mental health.
Each activity aims to give kids the tools to express their thoughts and feelings in a way they have never been able to achieve before.
These posters aim to help your child understand some of the physical sensations that accompany different feelings.
By exploring and discussing the vocabulary on each poster, you could ask children – Do you know what this word means? Have you ever felt like this? What made you feel this way? Could you add any more words to either of the posters?
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Older children may find the Synonym Booklet of Emotions more useful to expand their vocabulary and help them to better express themselves.
Use these 16 feelings and emotions cards to develop discussion around a range of different feelings with the questions below each emoji. If your children cannot think of an example, you could describe and explain a time when you felt this way.
They could also be asked whether each of the cards represent a ‘warm fuzzy’ or a ‘cold prickly’ feeling, picking up on yesterday’s discussions.
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You could then challenge your child to use the Design Your Own Emotion Emojis sheet to create their own versions, and encourage them to think about their personal experience of each emotion, and think carefully about the shape, colour, size and facial expression they choose.
Wednesday’s resource focuses on a specific feeling – worry, or anxiety.
Tell your child that everyone experiences this feeling sometimes, and more often than not, acknowledging and talking about the reasons why you are worried or anxious can help you to feel better. These Worry Monster Activity Sheets can help your children to voice, and then deal with, any anxieties they may have.
Anger and frustration can be difficult emotions for anyone to deal with, not least children, so these posters offer a range of techniques that can be used almost anywhere, in any situation.
The first four posters (The Calm Down Cake, The Slow Down Star, The Slow Down Square and the Helping Hand) direct children to focus on their breathing, using an image to help them do this. Discuss and practise the techniques together, first with and then without the posters in front of them, so children realise that these strategies can be successful using only their imagination if needed.
The final poster in the pack (5…4…3…2…1), may be more suitable for older children, as they are directed to use all of their senses to focus and calm the mind, and they can do this for the actual environment they are in, or an imagined one, such as a park, a beach or a forest.
The mental benefits of meditation are now widely recognised – for children as well as adults.
Research has shown that short, regular meditation sessions can have a positive effect on children’s attention, focus, self-awareness, and their management of thoughts and feelings, so this Guide Sheet is a simple, easy introduction to meditation, with step-by-step instructions to follow.
Try a short session with your child and ask them how they feel afterwards.
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You could try to add a session like this into your daily routine, and see what effect it has over time on your child’s emotional wellbeing.
A person with a fixed mindset feels that they have no control over their abilities or problems they may face, but someone with a growth mindset knows that they can improve their abilities and overcome difficulties if they persevere and are patient with themselves.
Discuss these differences with your child, and look at the poster for examples of each type of mindset.
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What type of mindset does your child think they have, and why? Why might it be better to have a growth mindset?
Children could use the blank poster provided to write their own personal examples of statements they made when they felt they had a fixed mindset, and how they could turn this around into a growth mindset statement.
You can end the week on a positive note with this activity, where children are encouraged to think about all the different aspects of their life that they are thankful for.
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A blank template is included for children to record these thoughts.
The I am Lucky Because… activity sheet may be more suitable for younger children, where they are encouraged to think about and complete the sentences, ‘I am lucky because I can…’, ‘I am lucky because I am’… and ‘I am lucky because I have…’.
You can download Plan Bee’s Children’s Mental Health Week activity pack for FREE here.
What's On
Science and Industry Museum reveals CGIs of iconic Power Hall that’s been closed for years
Daisy Jackson
One of the Science and Industry Museum’s most iconic attractions will reopen this summer – and the beloved museum has revealed a sneak peak of how things will look.
The museum has shared CGIs of the reimagined Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery, where visitors will be able to explore a lively working gallery full of engines and rail vehicles.
The popular part of the museum closed for urgent repairs in 2019 and has since been undergoing conservation work and a new look created by award-winning designers Studio MUTT.
The sounds, smells and sights of Manchester’s past and present industry will be brought to the Power Hall when it reopens.
Visitors will soon again be able to rediscover objects and learn the stories behind those who powered Manchester’s industry.
There’ll be three main themes within the Power Hall – Making More, which will explore how engines helped people make more, faster, with steam engines installed at factories and mills.
Then there’ll be Powering Lives, which will examine how engines power the electricity network we all plug into every day.
And also Connecting Places, which looks at how locomotives have connected communities around the world, starting at the site of the museum which sparked a transport revolution in 1830.
Science and Industry Museum reveals CGIs of iconic Power Hall that’s been closed for years
Kate Chatfield, Interpretation and Content Manager at the Science and Industry Museum, said: “Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery will be a must-see Manchester experience – a living gallery that showcases a unique collection of historic 19th and early 20th century working engines to tell the story of Manchester as an epicentre for the engine-driven ideas and industry that shaped the world as we know it today.
“Our most iconic objects will be available to explore like never before as we bring to life the people behind the power through stories of the engineers, makers and technicians who use their skills and senses to create and care for engines, both today and in the past.”
The work on the Power Hall is part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project across the Science and Industry Museum, which is conserving and reimagining these historic buildings.
The Power Hall has been future-proofed in the six years it’s been closed to the public, including urgent roof and timber repairs.
Further information about what to see and do and the Power Hall’s opening date will be announced in the coming weeks. Sign up to the museum’s mailing list to be among the first to hear more.
Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery project has been made possible with support from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Headley Trust, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Atmos International, The Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust, The Zochonis Charitable Trust and other donors who choose to remain anonymous.
Special thanks to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for their significant contribution to the gallery, and to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for funding the decarbonisation of the Power Hall through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix Finance.
Featured image: Supplied
What's On
A charity auction is selling memorabilia from the ACTUAL Peaky Blinders set
Thomas Melia
Peaky Blinders super-fans get ready, because there’s a charity auction is currently open and items worn by the stars of the iconic TV seriesare up for grabs.
This exclusive event gives bidders the chance to own a piece of modern-day TV history in the form of not just merchandise but authentic memorabilia.
Let’s be honest, we’ve all wanted to pull on a flat cap and pretend we were a gangster at one point in our lives, and what better way to do so and relive your Peaky Blinders fantasy than by doing so with one from the show? Especially since you know your money is going towards a good cause.
Whether you want to look as dapper as Tommy Shelby, or you just want to add a culture-soaked collector’s item to your, well, collection, you might want to check this one if you’re a big Peaky fan.
Maybe you could own something from this very picture at the Peaky Blinders charity auction event.Walk away feeling dapper as ever with exclusive merchandise up for grabs at the Peaky Blinders charity auction event.Credit: BBC
Anyone planning on going to the Peaky Blinders charity auction event can bid in person or even register to bid online now if you won’t be free during the proceedings.
As for what is on the table, you could raise your virtual paddle for everything from a full suit worn by Cillian Murphy himself to Sam Claflin’s homburg hat, a pair of Michael Gray (Finn Cole) shiny shoes and much more.
And where else to hold said event and than Manchester’s very own Peaky Blinders bar on Peter Street just off the main Deansgate strip, where the action will culminate in a flamboyant and free-to-all event.
Those attending in person will be greeted with a welcome drink before being encouraged to join in with the final day of the auction – guests are encouraged to turn up in ‘true Shelby style’ of course.
All the funds raised will go towards the much-loved NHS foundation and specialist hospital, The Christie, Europe’s largest cancer centre, right here in Manchester.
Peaky Blinders bar on Peter St in Manchester city centre.Everyone knows the Peaky Blinders like a drink.
Tickets for this event cost nothing, but there is an option to add an additional donation if you wish, and bidding on items taken from the cult favourite TV show is open to everyone.
Emily Sergeant -
29th January 2021 
