Articles & Resources

Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: Positive Affirmations

Our brains listen to EVERYTHING that we say, as though taking instructions from us. If we tell ourselves that we are stupid, silly or useless, our brain believes it and our confidence and self-esteem begins to drop. If we tell ourselves that we are kind, clever and capable, our brains take that as an instruction

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Anxiety
Nicky Edwards

What is Emotionally Based School Avoidance?

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) refers to a child or adolescent who has difficulty attending school. The attendance at school creates uncomfortable emotions such as stress and anxiety and this can cause both physical and emotional symptoms. The difficulty with Emotionally Based School Avoidance is that avoiding school escalates the feelings of anxiety, and this

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Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activities: Find It Bottles

Helping children to regulate means that we are supporting them to take control of their minds and feelings, and ground themselves. We have previously shared a wide range of regulation activities, including breathing techniques. This week, we are sharing an activity which is perfect for younger children and can also be adapted for children with

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Neurodiversity
Nicky Edwards

6 Strategies to Support Children with ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder which is categorised into two parts: Inattention (concentration and focus) Hyperactivity and impulsivity Whilst most people with ADHD have difficulties in both areas, some only fall into one category. Where challenges do not demonstrate in hyperactivity, a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is given. It is

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Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: Brian’s Jubilee Colouring

As we enjoy a break for the Jubilee celebrations, Brian is getting into the festive spirt. Join him in this colouring sheet…. Download here  Get started Download and print the colouring sheet here Collect colouring pens or pencils Enjoy taking some time out to colour Brian as he celebrates Want to learn more?  Are you

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Child Mental Health
Nicky Edwards

Our brains were made to……

When it comes to managing our own mental health (see here), I will often speak about the importance of: Routines Exercise Fresh air Good nutrition Having interests and hobbies (non electronic ones) A sense of achievement (internal validation) which all contribute to our mental health and well-being. Putting in place daily practices, which help us

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Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: Emotions Dominoes

Playing games is a great way to talk about feelings. So, in this activity article, we are sharing a FREE download of Emotions Dominoes. Emotions Dominoes Download Here    Get started Download the dominoes sheet here  Print onto card Cut out the dominoes Introduce each emotion and what they feel like Divide dominoes between children

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Anxiety
Nicky Edwards

What’s your story?

From childhood, we are brought up with stories all around us. From picture books to fairytales, to storybooks and poems, to advertising and the newspapers. To the stories we tell children at school through their reports and our messages, to the messages parents feed them at home, in texts or through interactions. We are surrounded

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Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: Creating Happiness Maps

Happiness When we feel happy, our bodies release dopamine and serotonin, which make us feel good. In a world, where we can easily up-regulate our amygdala’s to constantly be looking for threat and worry, helping children to tap into their happy, excited and grateful feelings helps counter stress and anxiety. So, in this activity we

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Adult Mental Health
Nicky Edwards

4 ways to tackle procrastination

Procrastination is described as ‘the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something, despite knowing that thee will be negative consequences’. In its simplest form, procrastination is a decision to stay in my current emotions and state, rather than push myself into a more uncomfortable or challenging one, despite knowing it will cause me

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Anger
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: Creating Anger Maps

Where does anger come from? Anger is a reaction which comes from the limbic system of the brain. This is the emotional hub of the brain. As part of this, the amygdala, which creates the fight-flight responses, will make a decision as to which reaction will be created when a trigger is identified. It is

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Anxiety
Nicky Edwards

3 ways that anxiety affects our bodies

The NHS defines anxiety as: “a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe”. Anxiety UK suggest that 1 in 6 teenagers will experience anxiety. This means that on average there will be around 5 children in any given classroom experiencing anxiety. Anxiety is a natural reaction to stress.

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Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: Emotions Colouring Sheet

Learning about emotions and having conversations about feelings doesn’t have to be heavy going. Sometimes, the simplest activities can give us great insight into different feelings that children have. So, this week, we are sharing an emotions colouring sheet: Download it here  Get started Download and print the colouring sheet here Collect colouring pens or

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Child Mental Health
Nicky Edwards

5 Reasons why we need to see therapy as self-care

Whilst we have made huge strides forward in our awareness of mental health and its impact on children and young people, particularly since the lockdowns, therapy still sits on an interesting line. Frequently, I talk to so many young people, parents and professionals who still find that whilst we talk about ‘Mental Health Matters’, it

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Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: What am I feeling?

What am I feeling? Children develop their emotional skills through play, interactions and exploration. So, what better way to explore feelings than through a game? Download here  What to do? Download the activity sheet here In small groups, take it in turns to move counters round the grid and talk about what each situation makes

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Anxiety
Nicky Edwards

ADHD and Sleep Routines

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a disorder which is categorised into two parts: Inattention (concentration and focus) Hyperactivity and impulsivity Whilst most people with ADHD have difficulties in both areas, some only fall into one category. ADHD was first identified in 1846 by Heinrich Hoffman, and the scientific presentation by Sir George Frederic Still

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Activities
Nicky Edwards

Children’s Activity: Exam Strategies

When exams begin, nerves and anxiety escalate. However, with the right strategies we can calm our central nervous system and relax our minds to perform at our best. Did you know: One study found that students performed 4.8% better if they took a bottle of water to exams  Perhaps not shocking, as drinking cold water

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Child Mental Health
Nicky Edwards

3 ways to promote child confidence

Have you ever noticed, that people talk about confidence as a primary factor? That we believe that we need to acquire it in order to take action? When I am more confident I will….  When I have more confidence I am going to….. If I had more confidence I would….. The interesting thing about confidence

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