Articles & Resources
Children’s Activity: Feelings Wheel
Feelings A step of emotional literacy development is being able to recognise what our emotions are. Many children can find it challenging to be able to recognise, identify and respond to their emotions, particularly emotions such as excitement and anxiety as both create adrenaline in the body. A great first step, is to encourage children
The importance of gaining different perspectives
Life can be busy, and often, when I work with clients, they can find that it’s a struggle to keep things in perspective. To see the good which sits alongside the bad, or the greys amongst the black and white. When we are stressed, or experience stress for a significant period of time, it can
Children’s Activities: Christmas Walk ‘I’ Spy
Christmas is coming! So, what better time to blow the cobwebs away and get out for a wintery walk and see how many of our Christmas ‘I Spy’ items you can find from the checklist! Download it here How to use it Download the worksheet (find it here) Laminate (optional) Clip to a clipboard Attach a
8 Ways to Support Your Own Mental Health
When our mental health declines, it can feel overwhelming, scary and quite exhausting. Our instincts can sometimes tell us to hide, act out or to seek out comfort seeking behaviours. However, sometimes, our instincts offer us solutions which increase the struggles that we are experiencing, and as such, we need to consider how else to
Children’s Activity: Self-Care Cups Worksheet
Self-care Cups Whilst we all talk about self-care and recognise its importance, recognising when our self-care is low or the early warning signs that something is out of balance is important to supporting our well-being. Self-care is all about taking care of ourselves. If we imagine that we are a care, we would not expect
Why we need to encourage perseverance in children
When I used to teach, my students often got fed up with me, I will add here that it wasn’t because I was a terrible teacher, but because I refused to listen to the words ‘I can’t’. ‘I can’t do it’ The words I wouldn’t abide by. I wasn’t being mean… The thing is, I
Children’s Activity: Christmas Colouring Sheet
In December 2019 I wrote a book called ‘Brian and the Christmas Box‘. This story followed a winter adventure of Brian…. When Brian is out for a walk with his mummy he hears a dog crying and doesn’t know what to do. Alongside his friend, Blue Butterfly, Brian finds a way to share the magic
Why our brains keep re-living things
Have you ever noticed, that when you pop to Tesco you can quickly forget about it, or if someone asks you what you had for dinner last night, you can rack your brains feeling like it was forever ago? But, when something challenging happens, it can take, days, weeks, months or even years to forget
Children’s Activity: Self-care Bingo
Self-care Bingo Self-care is all about taking care of ourselves. If we imagine that we are a care, we would not expect to drive to the coast without petrol. Self-care is the petrol that we give ourselves to give us to have the energy and mental well-being to cope. Regular self-care improves: our physical health
8 Things NOT to say to a child struggling with mental health
Mental Health and Children in the UK Current data shows that ‘One in six children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2020’ (NHS Digital, 2020). Further, ‘The number of A&E attendances by young people aged 18 or under with a recorded diagnosis of a psychiatric condition
Children’s Activity: What am I feeling?
What am I feeling? A step of emotional literacy development is being able to recognise what our emotions are. In order to do this, we first need to consider their names and what they feel like. For children, this often starts with knowing what the facial imagery is that goes with each feeling. So, this
The Impact of Validation on Mental Health
I was talking to a friend this week and we got onto the subject of validation. Funnily it is a conversation I have multiple times a week, all year round. Whilst not necessarily a subject topic purposely explored for it’s negativity it is a concept which impacts so many aspects of our lives, and whilst
Children’s Activities: Left Brain, Right Brain
Our brain is made up of two sides – left brain and right brain. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. Each side also has preferred behaviours and activities: Left Brain
The perils of perfectionism: supporting young people
For many, seeing a perfectionist in action can feel like watching magic unfold. In fact, frequently, the reason perfectionists do not recognise the dangers of their behaviours is because they are greeted with feedback about: – How committed they are – How much attention to detail they have – How well they are doing –
Children’s Activity: Halloween Spooky Hunt
Halloween Hunt As Halloween fast approaches, we know there are lots of little ones eager to be out trick or treating. So, we’re sharing our Halloween Spooky Hunt for those parents and professionals looking for a simple but fun activity to share the fun. Download it here How to use it Download the worksheet (find it
5 things to do if you are feeling burnt out
What is burnout Burnout is a term used to describe when someone is feeling sensations of exhaustion, or where someone has been overwhelmed for too long. It is created when an individual has had ongoing emotional, intellectual, physical or mental stress acting upon them or affecting them for prolonged periods. If you read our previous
Children’s Activity: Adventures of Brian Colouring Sheet
Adventures of Brian In 2016, I published the Adventures of Brian, a collection of children’s books which use therapeutic language to support children to resolve their thoughts, worries and fears. Having worked in education for over 20 years, from early years to teaching A-Levels the Adventures of Brian are a passion project. Stories have long
Shame: The risks of using the blame game
Once upon a time, to use shame to motivate or control behaviour was a typical psychological method. Shame is one of the greatest negative emotions that a person can experience. Whilst in some situations, shame can be beneficial, preventing us from wanting to hurt others or cause those we love pain, as well as stop
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