Mental Health and Wellbeing
What do we do to look after our Mental Health at Puss Bank School and Nursery?
We have an amazing amount of activities at Puss Bank School and Nursery to help us be more active, creative and healthy. We regularly check in with the things we can do to improve our mental health.
1. Drink water
2. Get enough sleep
3. Be active
4. Laugh out loud and spend time with your loved ones.
5. Eat healthy foods
6. Use your brain
Can you think of anything else you can do to look after your mental health?
Talking Mental Health (Subtitled)
Talking Mental Health is an animation designed to help begin conversations about mental health in the classroom and beyond. The animation and accompanying resources have been created by a team of animators, children, teachers and clinicians, and is being taught to year 5 and 6 children around the UK.
Useful Links
Anna Feud National Centre for Children and Families
Red Cross Advice for Parents and Young People
Mental Health First Aid Boxes
This box is full of things that can be used when a child is feeling ‘not ok’. None of the items are new ideas, just things over the years our teachers and teaching assistants have used on a more individual basis with children who have needed support for a whole host of reasons. We came up with the idea after completing the Mental Health First Aiders course as a way we could support everyone around school. Funded by a generous grant from the Macclesfield Town Council and help from the Friends of Puss Bank we now have a box in every classroom. Each teacher will use it differently to suit their class, as and when some one needs time out from the curriculum. We introduced it to the children by sharing the video below!
Mental Health and Wellbeing Advice from Cheshire East
Mental Health Awareness Week
Whether your child is in school or at home for Mental Health Week all teachers will be sharing ideas about how to look after their Mental Health with the children. We are using lots of resources from Place2Be, and you can click on the link below to see some of their ideas.
Click here to find Mental Health Week Resources for Parents and Carers
How many of the kindness challenges can you complete?
Let your teachers know if you manage to complete any- you can email them to tell them!
5 Steps to Mental Health and Wellbeing
Connect with people! When we talk to people, and share how we feel we often feel better. Sometimes it can take more than one attempt to talk to feel better but don't give up.
Some of the following things we do at Puss Bank School and Nursery to help people connect are:
Greeting each other when we first see each other on the morning- your teacher will try to say hello to everyone as you come into class in the morning.
We have Playground Friends who are on the playground at playtime who will set up games for you to join in with.
We encourage everyone to say thank you when someone does something kind. e.g holding the door open for you or in class when someone passes pencils or books to you.
At play times, the adults on the playground are there to make you feel safe and happy. You can talk to any of them if you have a problem - if they see that you are upset they will ask you can they help you.
In lots of classrooms, there are worry monsters or question boxes where you can leave messages for your teachers- they will get back to you and help you.
Mr Cooper has a box in the KS2 library, and in on the wall next to Mr Branksey's room in KS1.