It’s officially November and wow, the weeks are flying by! This week we’ve brought you 10 new resources, including a new autumn-themed activity, a new mum and mini resource and one that’s giving off a bit of a whiff… Carry on reading to find out more.
Every week we bring you new mental health resources all around helping your children talk about things that are on their mind and learn more about managing their thoughts and emotions. This week, we’re looking at how food affects our mood and focusing on feeling grateful as we near the Christmas period. Let’s have a look at what’s new…
My Mental Health Menu – This is a fun new activity to help your children think about how what we eat affects our mental health. Can they come up with a mentally healthy menu? What foods do they think help our brains? There is so much you can do with this resource and the discussions about healthy eating are endless! You could also use this as a daily menu in your home by laminating and writing on a daily meal plan with a whiteboard marker.
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Rainbow Infinity Breathing – Another breathing exercise this week that combines two of our favourites – infinity breathing and rainbow breathing! Starting at the star, trace the infinity loop, following the prompts to breathe in and out. Do this for each colour of the infinity rainbow.
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Down in the Dumps – This resource is sure to kick up a stink! Help your child to send their bothersome thoughts to the tip! Those unhelpful thoughts don’t belong in our heads – so let’s put them out with the rubbish instead. Ask your child to visualise their unhelpful thoughts being taken out to the dump and left where they belong.
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My Bravery Chart – This chart is all about rewarding positive steps – when your child does something out of their comfort zone or faces something they’re afraid of, stick it on the chart and ask them to fill in the prompts. In the circles, they can either draw an emotion face or colour how they feel. Optional – why not add a reward for completing the chart? This may spur them on to keep trying new things and push themselves further out of their home comforts!
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Can We Talk Cards – We want children to grow up knowing that it’s ok to be open and honest about our feelings, and that when something is bothering us, it’s always best to talk about it. However, we also know how difficult it can be to just open up about something and start a conversation. These cards can be kept on the side at home, or in the classroom, ready to be picked up and used when needed.
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Autumn Alphabet – Our November Mindfulness activity is a scavenger hunt with a difference – can your child fill in our alphabet with all the things of autumn? What can they see outside during their autumnal walks? What can they hear, taste or touch? They can either gather their finds or simply write them down.
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Adult Mood Tracker – We have two new adult resources this week including this annual mood tracker – ready for you to make your New Year’s Resolution to become more mindful and aware of your own feelings! Create your own colour key and shade each day with how you’re feeling, each month you’ll be able to track your progress and make changes based on your tracker’s results.
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Feeling Pants?… – This pun-intended distraction activity helps to calm children and take their mind away from worrisome or upsetting thoughts by having them focus on designing and colouring in the different pants. Mindfulness guaranteed!
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Gratitude Sun – New Mum and Mini Activity – You’ve asked for more joint activities so this week we bring you our feel-good Gratitude Sun! What things are you grateful for this month? Write them around our sun and discuss with your little one.
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COMING UP!
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We know that a lot of you have been waiting for our new Trauma Pack – ‘Working Through Big Feelings’ and we are excited to let you know that it is now in its last stage of review and will be launched later this month. This 40 page activity-based workbook will help to support children who are recovering from trauma, signed off and approved by our Clinical Psychologist. Did you know that all our resource packs are FREE for members?