Dear Parents and Carers,
The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week from Place2Be is ‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself’.
Using characters from Pixar’s Inside Out and Inside Out 2, resources are provided to help explore the importance of self-awareness and expressing emotions. These include top tips for families:
- Encourage journalling
- Make space for reflection
- Be visual
- Practise mindfulness
- Communicate
plus an art activity which invites children to reflect on the roots of their identity, what is important to them, and what helps them grow.
We all want our children to be able to express their joy and love of life, but it is important to be able to put our less pleasurable feelings into words too. As adults, it can be hard to hear children say they feel worried, disappointed, jealous or upset. We can immediately feel guilty, defensive or irritated, and children sense this in our body language and tone of voice. It might help to remember that children are telling us about how they feel. Sometimes, repeating a phrase they have used, using a gentle tone, and showing interest and curiosity can help a child feel heard and understood. If they feel that you can bear their difficult emotions, over time they will learn that they might not be so difficult after all, and can be felt, talked about and survived.
‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself’ applies to adults too. The more we understand and accept our own feelings, the easier it becomes to identify with others.
I hope you find something useful and thought-provoking in the resources provided.
Louise
Louise Mullier
Educational Psychotherapist (part-time)
Oaklands Junior School