Mind MOT: Car-Themed One-Page Mental Health Check-In

Mind MOT: Car-Themed One-Page Mental Health Check-In

A quick, engaging mental health check-in for children and teens, using a car MOT to explore how they’re feeling, what’s on their mind and what they might need.

Mind MOT uses a car-themed format to help children and teens check in with their energy levels, emotions, thoughts and what could help them right now.

Work through the different checks, from filling up the fuel tank and checking the dashboard to unloading anything that’s taking up space in their mind. Finish with a maintenance and safety check before deciding whether they’re ready to go.

Simple, visual and easy to use, with plenty of space for children to make it their own.

About this resource

Mind MOT turns a traditional mental health check-in into something a little more fun.

The whole activity has been designed around a car MOT, with each part of the check-in given its own car-themed section.

Children and teens can shade their fuel tank to show their current energy level, use the dashboard to identify their emotions and “unload the boot” by writing anything that’s taking up space in their mind.

They can then complete a quick maintenance check to think about what they need, consider whether they feel safe and supported, and decide whether they feel ready to carry on with their day.

It keeps the questions simple, while still giving adults a useful little snapshot of how a young person is doing.

What does the Mind MOT check?

• Fuel Level: How much energy do you have? Shade the tank to show your current energy level.
• Dashboard Check: How are you feeling? Shade the emotions that match how you feel right now.
• Unload the Boot: What’s taking up space in your mind? A blank space to write, draw or doodle whatever is on their mind.
• Maintenance: What do you need right now? Children can choose from things such as a break, some quiet, movement, food or water, rest, a hug or someone to talk to.
• Safety Check: Do you feel safe and supported? A simple opportunity to consider whether anything could help them feel safer or more supported.
• Ready to Go? Do you feel ready to carry on with your day? A final check before moving on.

Benefits

Mind MOT can help children and teens:

• recognise and name how they are feeling
• notice changes in their energy levels
• get thoughts and worries out of their head and onto paper
• identify what they might need in the moment
• think about whether they feel safe and supported
• communicate things they may find difficult to say out loud
• build the habit of checking in with their mental wellbeing
• understand that they don’t have to wait until things feel really difficult before asking for support

Features

Mind MOT is:

• car themed and designed to feel different from a traditional wellbeing worksheet
• suitable for older children and teens
• quick enough to use as a regular check-in
• black and white, so children can colour and personalise it
• suitable for individual, small-group or whole-class use
• easy to revisit, so children can see how their answers change on different days
• designed to encourage open communication

How to use

Give each child or young person their own Mind MOT and explain that they’re going to give their mind a quick check.

They can work through each section in whichever way feels right for them. They might shade, tick, write, doodle or leave something blank.

Once they’ve finished, you can use their answers to gently open up a conversation if needed.

You could simply ask:

“Is there anything on your Mind MOT you’d like to talk about?”

Suggested uses

Mind MOT could be used for morning check-ins, tutor time, pastoral sessions, ELSA work, counselling and therapy sessions, wellbeing groups, one-to-one support, after lunch or break, following a difficult moment, during transitions, or simply whenever a young person needs a few minutes to check in with themselves.

It could also work really well as a regular weekly activity. Completing the same check-in over time can help children begin to notice their own patterns, such as when their energy tends to dip or what they commonly need when they’re having a harder day.

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