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Help your child to recognise and name their feelings. "You've got to name it to tame it!!"

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Help your child to recognise and name their feelings. "You've got to name it to tame it!!"

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7 ways to stay happy and calm at home during lockdown

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7 ways to stay happy and calm at home during lockdown

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- plus you can get your kids involved. Maybe someone you know is great at entertaining but is feeling isolated at the moment? So, could they could try an activity like a or a with your child? Or how about filming your little one's progress on your phone or taking pictures of their artwork and sharing with loved ones?

Communities are really pulling together at the moment, so now might be a great chance to remotely meet your neighbours by joining a local Facebook or WhatsApp group. There might even be a positive project that you and the kids could do together like .

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Lockdown wellbeing: 7 ways to stay happy and calm at home

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plus you can get your kids involved. Maybe someone you know is great at entertaining but is feeling isolated at the moment? So, could they could try an activity like a or a with your child? Or how about filming your little one's progress on your phone or taking pictures of their artwork and sharing with loved ones?

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Its important to take care of yourself. 

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Its important to take care of yourself. 

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Working from home, remotely or splitting time between home and the office (hybrid working) has become more common than ever.

Many of us have had to adjust to these new ways of working following the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020. Some of us have even entered the workforce for the first time, starting working life in a remote role, without having experienced an office-based job.

Working from home can have benefits and perks that some of us enjoy (bye bye commute!), but a change like this can be challenging too and can have a big impact on our mental health.

It can cause stress, a lack of motivation, anxiety and uncertainty. Alongside this, we might worry about future job prospects or the best way to juggle work with our personal and family life.

These simple tips can help you feel more productive, motivated and take care of your mental health while working from home.

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6 simple tips to tackle working from home - Every Mind Matters

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Read our 6 simple tips to help you manage working from home and look after your mental wellbeing.

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Support for Parents from Action For Children

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Free and confidential live chat with a parenting coach. We're here 12:00-19:30 Monday and Thursday, 09:30-16:30 Tuesday and Wednesday, and 09:30-16:00 Friday. At other times, leave us a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Free and confidential live chat with a parenting coach. We're here 12:00-19:30 Monday and Thursday, 09:30-16:30 Tuesday and Wednesday, and 09:30-16:00 Friday. At other times, leave us a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

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Parent Talk - down-to-earth parenting advice you can trust

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We're on hand to support parents, when they need us. As coronavirus puts extra pressure on families, we're offering even more online parenting support. You can find advice and resources on coronavirus, explore our online advice sites below, or speak to one of our parenting coaches in a 1-to-1 live chat.

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An introduction to a sensory, soothing, regulating, calming, grounding box by Dr Karen Treisman

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Lots of well being activities for families

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Lots of well being activities for families

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In light of the evolving situation around coronavirus (COVID-19), some teachers may be looking for activities to boost pupils' wellbeing. The ideas below can be helpful for all pupils, but particularly if they are finding changes unsettling.

Some of these activities may need to be adapted in line with current government guidance around non-essential contact. Unless otherwise stated, all the options below have ideas for both primary and secondary age groups.

Please visit our Coronavirus: Updates page for our latest advice and guidance for schools, parents and carers on supporting children and young people's mental health.

Spread a little kindness

A range of short activities to explore kindness. Originally published for Children's Mental Health Week 2017.

Download (PDF 422KB)

News & blogs

The Duchess of Cambridge talks to teachers during Children's Mental Health Week

The Duchess of Cambridge spoke with teachers from Ribbon Academy in County Durham about supporting children in the pandemic.

Read More

Professor Jason Leitch chats to pupils at Place2Be partner school

Professor Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director of the Scottish Government spoke to pupils at Oakwood Primary School.

Read more

A message from Deputy First Minister of Scotland

John Swinney, Deputy First Minister of Scotland, shares his thoughts for Children's Mental Health Week.

Read more

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Coronavirus: wellbeing activity ideas for schools

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In light of the evolving situation around coronavirus (COVID-19), some teachers may be looking for activities to boost pupils' wellbeing. Have a look at these ideas, which can be helpful for all pupils, but particularly if they are finding changes unsettling.

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This app provides children with a safe place to share their worries and fears

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This app provides children with a safe place to share their worries and fears

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The Worrinots App | Make The Fear Disappear

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The Worrinots family edition provides families with the tools to help children share and cope with their worries in the security and comfort of their own home.

Parents & carers can engage with their children in real time to offer responses, help, advice and guidance through WotNot, the specifically created monitoring app.

The family edition allows you to create up to 5 child user accounts and offers all the same fantastic features as the school edition, with The Worrinot characters offering helpful tips and advice to 'make the fear disappear' and a safe and secure portal for children to share their problems.

More importantly, the self-contained Worri-tips can help generate much needed family discussion. This offers benefits for all the family.

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About - The Worrinots App | Make The Fear Disappear

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The award winning Worrinots app has been designed specifically for primary school age children to encourage learning, understanding and the language of emotions and feelings. A safe platform where children can engage with one of four characters to share what might them anxious, cause distress or upset them and their focus on learning.

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COVID 19 ANXIETY | 5 tips for staying mentally well during the Coronavirus pandemic

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Lots of helpful activities, as simple as blowing bubbles..

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Lots of helpful activities, as simple as blowing bubbles..

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With the ever-changing status of schools and many parents working from home without childcare for the foreseeable future, it's hard not to start spiraling. Responsibilities seem endless, the situation dire, and it seems like time to yourself has become a thing of the past...

Take a deep breath. Literally. Feel a little better?

These are trying times, but incorporating mindful practices into your daily routine can help calm anxiety and build healthy coping skills. Here are some tips from our clinicians on making mindfulness work for you and your family.

Being mindful is what it sounds like. Taking time to focus on the present, being intentional and thoughtful about where you are and how you are feeling. Trying to center your thoughts and be in the moment. Sounds simple, but it takes work, especially now when concerns about what the future holds feel so pressing. Mindful activities can help. "Mindfulness isn't complicated," says Jill Emanuele, PhD, Senior Director of the Mood Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. Here are some simple activities she recommends:

Squeeze Muscles: Starting at your toes, pick one muscle and squeeze it tight. Count to five. Release, and notice how your body changes. Repeat exercise moving up your body.

Belly Breathing: Put one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Slowly breathe in from your stomach (expand like a balloon) and slowly breathe out (deflate).

Mindful Meal: Pay attention to the smell, taste and look of your food. No multitasking.

Meditation: Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position. Pick something to focus on, like your breath. When your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath.

Blowing Bubbles: Notice their shapes, textures and colors.

Coloring: Color something. Focus on the colors and designs.

Listening to Music: Focus on the whole song, or listen specifically to the voice or an instrument.

Right now much of the personal time that used to be part of our daily routines - commutes, time alone at home, going to the store - is not available. This means it's extra important to be intentional about creating space to recharge. Deciding to set time aside each day to practice mindful activities is a great place to start, says Dr. Emanuele. "The morning, before everyone is awake, can be a great time to really ground yourself." Morning mindfulness can help set the tone for the day. "Do deep breathing, meditate, exercise, whatever mindfulness activity works for you," she recommends. Mindfulness doesn't have to be elaborate: "You can try mindful eating or mindful drinking with a cup of coffee. Sit there and just be in the moment. That's mindfulness. Taking five minutes to do that before the day begins is even more important now because this is not our typical routine and we're going to feel very, very out of sorts."

Right now it can feel like trying to do ten things at once is the only way anything will get done. For example, trying to fold laundry, make dinner and watch your child all while on a work call.

But, explains Joanna Stern, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, multitasking rarely works, and can actually increase stress. "Multitasking is a myth," says Dr. Stern. Instead, she suggests achievable goals for the day, trying to focus on one thing at a time. For example, scheduling work calls during naptime, allowing kids to have a little extra screen time while you make dinner, or asking older children to help fold the laundry while you finish cleaning up.

Mindfulness, explains David Anderson, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, is "Anything that helps everyone take a moment to slow down, stay present, and come together." Designating time to practice mindful activities as a family will help everyone feel less anxious. It could be a daily family yoga session, or a quiet walk in the woods as a group, taking time to focus on the way the air feels, the sound of the birds and the smell of the trees. Another good family mindfulness idea is asking everyone to mention one good thing they heard or saw that day over dinner.

This situation is one of extreme uncertainty. We don't know what will happen, how long it will last or what things will be like when it's over. One thing we do know, however, is that worrying about it won't change the outcome. Learning how to tolerate the uncertainty is a huge part of building healthy coping skills for ourselves, which we then want to model for our children. "Right now it's very easy to let your brain spin out with the frightening possibilities," warns Dr. Anderson. "Practicing mindfulness helps bring us back to the present, and away from the brink."

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How Mindfulness Can Help During COVID-19 - Child Mind Institute

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With the ever-changing status of schools and many parents working from home without childcare for the foreseeable future, it's hard not to start spiraling. Responsibilities seem endless, the situation dire, and it seems like time to yourself has become a thing of the past... Take a deep breath. Literally.

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New Horizon - Meditation & Sleep Stories

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Sleep Meditation for Children | THE SLEEP TRAIN: Destination Dreamland | Bedtime Meditation for Kids

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How to keep mentally healthy during uncertain times
Looking after your mental health is vital, especially when you're stuck at home
We're entering unprecedented times with this Coronavirus pandemic. No one knows how it is going to pan out or how long it is going to last for. An unintended consequence is that our mental health may suffer as we keep apart from our families, friends, neighbours and colleagues.
The good news is there are lots of positive things we and our families can do to stay as physically and mentally healthy as possible. 1. Keep active

When we are physically active, it keeps our bodies healthy, our immune system strong and our minds in tip top condition. Physical activity burns off stress hormones like cortisol so we feel calm, centred and energised. Why not try:

Cleaning your house actually counts as 'moderate' activity - so get tidying and not only will you have a work out, you'll have a clean house too!

Break your day up with short bursts of star-jumps, press-ups or running on the spot.

Get active with your kids - www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers andwww.gonoodle.com are free to use and great fun!

2. Immerse yourself in nature
Research shows that nature can have a healing effect on our minds and bodies. One study showed that patients recovering from surgery whose beds overlooked a garden recovered faster than those whose bed overlooked a carpark. Try these:
3. Focus on the present
Our minds have a tendency to ruminate on the past, or fast-forward to the future, sometimes in a negative kind of way. This tendency is often exacerbated during times of stress. An antidote is to intentionally focus on the present moment - by noticing what's happening in our minds, bodies and the external environment with an attitude of kindness and curiosity.

Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest and, as you breathe normally in and out through your nose, count 10 full breaths.

Download and try one of the many free mindfulness apps like www.headspace.com

If you find your mind racing, lie down and tune in to the sensations in your body.

4. Laugh
Laughing feels good, boosts our immune system and helps us keep things in perspective. Laughing with others strengthens relationships and, because laughter is contagious, we laugh more with others.
5. Practise kindness

In times of need, we often see the best of humanity as people dig deep to help others.
6. Focus on what's good
There is ample research to show that deliberately focusing on the good things in our lives - practising gratitude - can improve our wellbeing. It's easy to give in to our natural 'negativity bias' as our brains strive to protect us from harm, but we can counter that by deliberately focusing on what's good, even during challenging times.
7. Keep learning
Our minds need challenge and stimulation to stay healthy, which is why learning new things is one of the Five ways to wellbeing.

All those books you don't have time to read? Read them. Read them all!

Take an online course. Now could be the perfect time to learn a new skill and there are lots of great free courses on sites like www.coursera.org andwww.edx.org

Children can research a topic they're interested in, then share five ideas or facts they learned with someone else. Use the BBC learning website www.bbc.co.uk/learning/subjects/childrens_learning.shtml

8. Connect
Connecting with others is another of the 'five ways to wellbeing'. Research shows that people who have the richest social relationships are the happiest; the quality of relationships has even been linked to physical health and longevity (and academic achievement in children). Social distancing doesn't mean you can't keep in touch. Let people know you care and especially contact those who may be more isolated or lonely.
9. Concentrate on strengths
Character strengths are essential in supporting wellbeing. Research (see VIA Institute on Character) shows that recognising and working with our strengths increases our levels of happiness.

Remember, nothing lasts forever, no matter how bad it is or feels at the time. Human beings often grow and flourish through adversity.
This is an incredibly challenging time, but we are all in this together and we can take this opportunity to rediscover our shared humanity.

Adrian Bethune is a primary teacher, founder of www.teachappy.co.uk, Education Policy Co-Lead at the Mindfulness Initiative, and the author of Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom. He tweets@AdrianBethune

Frederika Roberts is a former secondary teacher and a positive psychology speaker and trainer. She is the founder of Educate to Flourish CIC, author of Recipe for Happiness and For Flourishing's Sake and co-author of Character Toolkit for Teachers. She tweets @Frederika_R

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How to keep mentally healthy during uncertain times

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Looking after your mental health is vital, especially when you're stuck at home We're entering unprecedented times with this Coronavirus pandemic. No one knows how it is going to pan out or how long it is going to last for.

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A photo challenge for you or/and the children.

Each day you are prompted to take a photograph. This will help to create a positive attitude and also give a purpose or focus to the day. All photos can be taken in your house, your garden, your yard or during your daily exercise.

You are welcome to tag me on Instagram with your photos @elsa_support

or on Twitter @elsasupport

Let's use the hashtag #elsaphotochallenge

ELSAs you can post in our ELSA Group and Parents you can post in our parent group

Looking forward to seeing your wonderful photos

Download: photo challenge

Other Resources you will love!

The Secondary Resource Bundle is a huge pack of 13 resources that is perfect for older, secondary school students. The bundle deals with emotions and...

£20.00

To use the Calming Puzzles pack, print onto card and cut up the pieces where indicated. You will need a die to play. Use these...

£1.50

This is a bundle of resources for anyone wanting to run a 'Building Brick group' This is worth reading found on Amazon:

£10.00

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14 day ELSA Support's Photo challenge - ELSA Support

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A photo challenge for you or/and the children. Each day you are prompted to take a photograph. This will help to create a positive attitude and also give a purpose or focus to the day. All photos can be taken in your house, your garden, your yard or during your daily exercise.

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Taking a moment to focus on your breathing..This is really good!

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Taking a moment to focus on your breathing..This is really good!

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Hand Breathing Relaxation and Regulation Tool by Dr Karen Treisman

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A short walk can make a big difference

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Before you begin your meditation, find a quiet space to walk. It could be outdoors, or in a hallway, or even a large room, walking back and forth.

Walking meditation can be a formal practice, like watching the breath. Or it can be informal, bringing awareness to this everyday activity, whenever you need to travel from point A to point B. Walking meditation gives us an opportunity to gather our awareness which so often becomes distracted or even stuck when the mind is left to its own devices. Whether moving between floors of a building, on a city street, or in the woods, it is an opportunity to guide ourselves out of the distracted autopilot we live in throughout so much of our day.

Paying attention in this way, we stay safe by remaining fully aware of whatever is around. On any walk, hike, run, or other physical activity, without effort we may mentally check out-or we can practice awareness instead.

Practice Mindfulness With a Walking Meditation

1. As you begin, walk at a natural pace. Place your hands wherever comfortable: on your belly, behind your back, or at your sides. If you find it useful, you can count steps up to 10, and then start back at one again. If you're in a small space, as you reach ten, pause, and with intention choose a moment to turn around.

2. With each step, pay attention to the lifting and falling of your foot. Notice movement in your legs and the rest of your body. Notice any shifting of your body from side to side.

3. Whatever else captures your attention, come back to the sensation of walking. Your mind will wander, so without frustration, guide it back again as many times as you need. Particularly outdoors, maintain a larger sense of the environment around you, taking it all in, staying safe and aware.

Whether you're indoors, in the woods, or in a city, pay attention to sounds without labeling or naming, or getting caught up.

4. Now for a few minutes, expand your attention to sounds. Whether you're indoors, in the woods, or in a city, pay attention to sounds without labeling or naming, or getting caught up in whether you find them pleasant or unpleasant. Notice sounds as nothing more or less than sound.

5. Shift your awareness to your sense of smell. Again, simply notice. Don't push or force yourself to feel anything at all, just bring attention to the sense of smell, whatever you discover.

6. Now, move to vision: colors and objects and whatever else you see. Patiently coming back each time something grabs your attention, or even if something needs addressing, like avoiding an obstacle. Staying natural, not overly rigid, not daydreaming and drifting, but with sustained awareness.

7. Keep this open awareness of everything around you, wherever you are. Nothing to do, nothing to fix, nothing to change. Fully aware, and walking.

8. In the last moments, come back to awareness of the physical sensations of walking, wherever else your mind found itself throughout the practice. Notice your feet again touching the ground. Notice again the movements in your body with each step.

9. When you're ready to end your walking meditation, stand still for a moment again. Pausing, choose a moment to end the practice. As you finish, consider how you might bring this kind of awareness into the rest of your day.

Meditation teacher Diana Winston and researcher Susan Smalley address some of the most common concerns that come up when people first try mindful breathing meditation. Read More

Meditation may appear to be a solitary pursuit, says Barry Boyce, but many benefits come from doing it with others. Read More

Breathe into challenging movement with a longer exhale, whether that be hitting laps on the stairs, running, hiking, climbing, or a high intensity workout. Read More

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A Guided Walking Meditation for Daily Life

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Walking meditation can be a formal practice. Take a break and boost your mood with this walking meditation guided by Dr. Mark Bertin.

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This is a fun activity to play with children to get them talking and thinking positively.

All you need are two dice. Roll one and get the horizontal row and roll the other one to get the vertical column. Where they meet is the question you will answer.

We played this last night as a family.

Download: Roll a positive question

Download: Roll a positive question black and white

Other Resources you will love!

Wally Worry the worry monster is for helping children to offload their worries. Included in the pack: Banner Wally Worry Monster(with writing, without writing and...

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These Flipbooks are brilliant for working with children. Each flipbook concentrates on different areas. Included in the pack 18 emotion books which use our senses...

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This Reflective journal can help pupils to reflect on their day, week, month, or year. This resource can be made into a journal for pupils...

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Roll a positive question - ELSA Support for emotional literacy

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This is a fun activity to play with children to get them talking and thinking positively. All you need are two dice. Roll one and get the horizontal row and roll the other one to get the vertical column. Where they meet is the question you will answer.

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It can be easy to feel other people's lives are better than our own, especially when we're bombarded with perfect images on social media. We can get stuck thinking others are more beautiful, have more money and fun, or simply 'have more'.

And children are just as susceptible as adults to this comparison trap. So how can we help them (and ourselves)?

One idea is to bring attention to what's working well in your/their life by developing gratitude skills. To develop these skills, you can use techniques such as starting a gratitude jar, writing a gratitude journal or having a gratitude conversation.

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Five steps to help with children's wellbeing

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It can be easy to feel other people's lives are better than our own, especially when we're bombarded with perfect images on social media. We can get stuck thinking others are more beautiful, have more money and fun, or simply 'have more'. And children are just as susceptible as adults to this comparison trap.

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Category: Sleep The Pzizz app helps you quickly calm your mind, fall asleep fast, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed. It uses "dreamscapes" - a mix of music, voiceovers and sound effects designed using the latest clinical research - to help you sleep better at night or take power naps during the day.

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Make a change today! Discover healthy recipes, food swaps, nutritional advice, and top tips and activities to help the whole family stay healthy.

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Some ideas and resources to support your family

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Some ideas and resources to support your family

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Free Resources for school staff, parents and carers

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Children can be supported to develop the coping and social skills they will need to thrive. Our resources for school staff, parents and carers help everyone to support these skills. Resilience-building Activities Download activities to do with your child. Includes ideas for talking about emotions, how to make friends, dealing with anger and coping with grief and loss.

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Colour the sunshine. Cut around the edge. Cut along the faint lines and STOP at the inner circle.

Use shades of yellow/orange/reds for colouring.

Bend very carefully every other ray of sunshine inwards. This just gives it a 3 d effect.

Hang around your home/classroom or hang in your window to brighten someone's day!

Download: Sunshine

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This bundle contains resources suitable for home learning and is on a limited offer for the next few months due to the Coronavirus and potential...

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This is a bundle of all the new Affirmation cards on the website. You can read about 'Affirmation cards on this blog post'

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This 'emotion of the week' resource is a fab way of teaching emotional literacy with these engaging and colourful sheets. There are 20 emotions/feelings included...

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Sunshine smiles - window art - ELSA Support for emotional literacy

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Colour the sunshine. Cut around the edge. Cut along the faint lines and STOP at the inner circle. Use shades of yellow/orange/reds for colouring. Bend very carefully every other ray of sunshine inwards. This just gives it a 3 d effect. Hang around your home/classroom or hang in your window to brighten someone's day!

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The Stay Home Superheroes is an empowering story, created to help children all over the world to understand the pandemic and the important role they can play. The story is available for free, but if you have enjoyed the story and are in a position to do so, please do make a donation.