Our teachers have been supporting Children's Mental health week through their remote learning this week.
At Crumlin IPS we recognise that the current lockdown has been difficult for many people. The poor weather and dark nights aren't helping and we are aware that many of our children may be struggling with being locked down through the winter.
We want to try to support our families in any way that we can. The school have provided supervised and remote learning throughout lockdown. Families have been given IT support and hardware where necessary, as well as unprecedented access to teaching staff through online platforms. Many people believe that schools are closed however this does not reflect the reality of the work that we are doing. Parents who need additional support are encouraged to contact their child's class teacher or call the school office.
During Children's Mental Health Week we are using our social media channels to provide encouragement, support and practical tips to help our pupils and their families.
Here are 5 tips for how you can improve your children and pupils' wellbeing
- Step 1. "Teach them to be themselves" - Helping children to realise their strengths is a great way to build their confidence. Encourage children to notice and appreciate their own strengths, and those of others too.
- Step 2: "Be grateful"- Help children to bring attention to what’s working well in their life by developing gratitude skills. To develop these skills, you can use techniques such as starting a gratitude journal or have a gratitude list discussion at breakfast/dinner.
- Step 3: "Help them be more mindful"- A way in which we can help our children develop these skills is drawing for 10 minutes. Simpy set a timer for 15 minutes and ask your child to draw something they can see.This activity isn’t about what the child decides to draw, it’s about whether they are able to focus on the activity and bring their attention back if they get distracted.
- Step 4: "Be kind" - There are thousands of ways children and adults can show kindness every day, it can be fun to sometimes turn these small acts into every day ritiuals.
- Step 5: "Teach them the importance of resilience" - One way to build resilience in children is to help them develop a growth mindset. Children with a strong mindset are more likely to try again when they fail, and also to attempt to learn how they can improve.
