Wellbeing and academic attainment go hand in hand. To do this well teachers, parents, and pupils need to be confident in speaking up and supporting each other during mental health conversations. From mindfulness sessions to digital tools like tootoot, this blog covers everything you need to create culture of speaking up during Mental Health Awareness Week 2024. Download tootoot’s free Mental Health Awareness Week teaching resources here.
What is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK?
Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event that runs every May. Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity for schools, colleges, business, and individuals to come together to tackle the stigma associated with mental health and help people understand their and others’ mental health. Each year it aims to create a conversation around a different theme related to Mental Health. This year’s theme is ‘Movement: Moving more for our mental health’.
When is Mental Health Awareness Week 2024?
This year Mental Health Awareness Week is from the 13th May to the 19th May 2024. During the week, millions of people from schools and colleges to universities, businesses and charities take part!
Why should schools teach about Mental Health?
In recent years there has been a rise in the wellbeing and mental health issues experienced by children and young people, due to the unique pressures young people face surrounding things such as exam stress, social media, and post-covid pressures. Supporting children and young people to understand and nurture their mental health is important and raising awareness and understanding of mental health through conversations in schools is one of the ways you can support mental wellbeing.
5 ideas to enhance pupil mental health for mental health awareness week
Mindfulness Sessions
Incorporate mindfulness sessions into your daily routine, such as at the beginning of end of each class. These session can include simple breathing exercises or guided meditation. They’re a great way to help pupils gound themselves, reduce stress, and take a moment to focus on their thoughts and feelings. Headspace have some great free resources on their YouTube channel here.
Outdoor Learning
Where possible, introduce outdoor learning activities or time outside during the school day. This might be nature walks, gardening, or outdoor classroom sessions. Being in nature has been shown to have a positive effect on mental wellbeing and can help reduce anxiety and stress and improve mood.
Designated Mindfulness Spaces
Create spaces within the school where pupils can relax and de-stress when needed. These spaces don’t need much, just some comfortable seating. You could also include calming decorations, mindfulness toys / activities such as colour books or stress balls, and resources for self-care.
Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations are a simple yet powerful tool to create a positive and support atmosphere for pupils. Encourage the use of affirmations by displaying the messages and quotes in common areas within your school – don’t forget the bathrooms! You could also encourage pupils to contribute to classroom ‘affirmation jars’ that teachers can use with pupils during mindful moments throughout the week.
Resources for Parents
Include resources, tips, and guidance in your parent communications to support them on their journey with children’s mental health. You could even offer workshops, Q&As or informational sessions during parents evening if you have the resources. By involving parents in the conversation, you can create a more well-rounded approach to support student’s wellbeing.
Tootoot’s parent feature gives parents the ability to share their own messages directly with the school – a great way to bring parents into the conversation when it comes to pupil wellbeing.
Free Mental Health Awareness Week Activities
To help you start the conversation around positive mental wellbeing, the team at tootoot have created a set of handy activities and resources. Use our mental health activities and classroom resources to help your pupils understand and prioritise their mental health. They explore how our emotions and moods play central roles in our mental wellness and will help your pupils understand their moods and emotions, creating a school community that allows everyone seek help and support when needed.
Mental Health Awareness Week Poster
Igniting conversation and promoting awareness of mental health is a powerful tool in promoting mental wellbeing throughout your school community. Use tootoot’s exclusive poster pack to support your Mental Health Awareness Week activities. Each poster explores themes such as resilience, self-care and speaking up, they serve as a gentle reminder of mental wellbeing and provide pupils with sign-posting prompts if they need to seek additional support. Print out your free posters and hang them in classrooms, common areas, or even send them home with pupils to spark meaningful conversations and encourage a supportive environment!
How to enhance pupil mental wellbeing with tootoot
Recent research from tootoot found that pupils are more likely to seek support for mental health online, using digital tools such as phone apps to speak up about their concerns.
At tootoot we understand that wellbeing and academic attainment go hand in hand and have made it our mission to ensure all young people have the key to unlock the support they require to fulfil their potential.
This is where tootoot can help, by providing a safe space for students to voice any concerns or worries before they develop into bigger problems. Over the past 10 years tootoot has supported over half a million children with questions, worries, and concerns.
Interested in learning more? Book a 20-minute call with the tootoot team today.
Download your free mental health awareness week resources
Complete the form below to download our free resources. Use them to get the conversation started this week and beyond!
What you’ll get:
🎨 Classroom Activities
🧑🏫Assembly Presentation
🗣️Assembly Script
📝Posters