Children’s Mental Health Week | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with Children’s Mental Health Week. Children’s Mental Health Week is an annual event in the UK, organised by Place2Be, a children's mental health charity. For official information, dates, and resources, please visit the Place2Be website.

Understanding Children’s Mental Health Week in EYFS & KS1

Let's talk about our feelings and feel good! 😊💭 Children’s Mental Health Week is an annual event in the UK, organised by Place2Be, a leading children's mental health charity. It typically takes place in early February. This important week aims to shine a spotlight on the vital importance of children and young people's mental health. Each year, the week features a different theme, encouraging children, young people, and adults to explore their feelings, connect with others, and learn practical ways to look after their mental well-being. It helps to destigmatise conversations around mental health and equip children with tools for emotional resilience.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this week provides a crucial and sensitive theme for exploring emotions, self-regulation, relationships, well-being, communication and language, and personal, social & emotional development (PSED). It's about creating a safe space for children to express their feelings, understanding that all emotions are okay, and learning strategies to manage them. This week offers wonderful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about emotional literacy and self-care both vital and nurturing.

Why Is Teaching About Mental Health Important for Young Children?

Integrating conversations and activities about mental health into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is incredibly important for building their emotional intelligence, resilience, and overall well-being from an early age.

• Emotional Literacy: Helps children identify, understand, and label their own emotions and those of others.

• Self-Regulation: Equips children with simple strategies to cope with big feelings and calm themselves.

• Empathy & Social Skills: Encourages understanding and kindness towards others' feelings and experiences, fostering positive relationships.

• Communication: Promotes open discussion about feelings, helping children express themselves rather than keeping emotions bottled up.

• Resilience Building: Teaches children that challenges and difficult feelings are a normal part of life and that there are ways to work through them.

• Foundation for Future Well-being: Lays crucial groundwork for good mental health habits throughout their lives.

• Reduces Stigma: Normalises conversations about feelings and mental well-being, reducing potential stigma later on.

Engaging Mental Health & Well-being Activities for Children’s Mental Health Week (0-7 Year Olds)

Make Children’s Mental Health Week a truly supportive and emotionally rich experience with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on understanding feelings, connecting, moving, and being mindful! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our extensive 'Mental Health' resources.

Here's some inspiration for nurturing healthy minds in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)

• Explore Emotions:

  • Start the day with an 'emotion check-in' using 'Emotions - 'Emotion Of The Day' - Display (Large)' and 'Emotions - 'I Am Feeling...' - Emoji Cards'.

  • Encourage children to express emotions through drawing or colouring with 'Emotions - 'I Am Feeling...' - Emoji Colouring'.

  • Discuss different feelings and what might cause them using 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Sad?' Activity Pack' and 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Happy?' Activity Pack'.

  • Use 'Emotions - 'What Happens When You Feel...' - Prompt Cards' to delve deeper into emotional responses.

• Build Healthy Minds Awareness: Display 'Mental Health - 'Healthy Minds' Poster' to remind children about looking after their minds. Use the full 'Mental Health - 'Healthy Minds' Display Pack' for a comprehensive visual aid.

• Connect with Each Other:

  • Promote positive interactions with 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Cards'. These could include sharing, listening, or complimenting each other.

  • Encourage kindness with 'Let's Show Kindness - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Show Kindness - Activity Prompt Cards'.

• Get Moving: Highlight the link between physical activity and good mental health. Use 'Let's - Get Moving - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's - Get Moving - Activity Prompt Cards'. You could also use 'Exercises - A4 Cards', 'Dinosaur Activity/Movement Challenge - Cartoon', 'Fairies - Activity/Movement Challenge Cards', or 'Jack And The Beanstalk - Activity/Movement Challenge Cards'.

• Practice Mindfulness:

  • Introduce quiet, focused activities using 'Mindfulness - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Mindfulness - Activity Cards'.

  • Go on a 'Mindfulness Walk' with 'Mindfulness - Mindfulness Walks Poster' and 'Mindfulness - Mindfulness Walk Cards'.

• Music and Emotions: Explore how music makes us feel using ''This Music Makes Me Feel...' Emoji Cards Activity', ''This Music Makes Me Feel...' Emoji Cards Activity (Colouring)', ''This Music Makes Me Feel...' Playdough Mat', ''This Music Makes Me Feel...' Banner And Emoji Cards Display/Activity', and ''This Music Makes Me Feel...' Emoji Mat/Colouring Activity'.

• Sleep and Rest: Discuss the importance of sleep for a healthy mind. Use 'Mental Health - 'Amount Of Sleep' Poster'.

• Role Play for Emotional Expression: Set up role-play areas that allow children to explore emotions and caring roles, such as 'Doctors Surgery Role-Play Pack' or with 'Poorly Teddy - A4 Posters'.

• Everyday Well-being: Reinforce daily positive habits like hydration with 'Heat Health - 'Drink Some Water' Visual Communication Aid'.

• Celebrate Each Other: Sit in a circle, and pass around a shell, taking turns to share something special. Celebrate these!

• Explore More: Please visit our 'Mental Health' page for an extensive catalogue of resources.

These activities offer great inspiration for making Children’s Mental Health Week a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering emotional intelligence, resilience, positive relationships, and crucial self-care skills.

To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘Children’s Mental Health Week’

Please visit our ‘Mental Health’ page for an extensive catalogue of resources.

Please visit our ‘Mental Health’ page for an extensive catalogue of resources.

Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or Connected themes

More Early Years Event Pages for February

Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children

Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!

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Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'Children’s Mental Health Week'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by Place2Be, which organises this event, other than providing their official website as a source of information about the initiative. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, dates, and to learn more about the campaign and children's mental health, please visit their website at www.place2be.org.uk/childrens-mental-health-week.