From the Base
Next week is Children's Mental Health Awareness Week. The school will be running activities and assemblies based around the theme of 'Express yourself'. The focus is finding ways of talking about and expressing your emotions and feelings, especially in creative and non-verbal ways.
To support you, the parents, I'd like to sign post you to several excellent online resources. This help is for a myriad of areas, including home-schooling, worries about Covid-19, and what to do if concerned about your child. I also have lots of material that I would happily send you if you contact me directly at: mshroff@pilgrims-school.co.uk
Whenever mental health is discussed, the focus is often on POOR mental health, but I say to anyone I talk to about this - don't dismiss discussions about mental health because you think 'it doesn't apply' or 'my family is fine'. We want to educate young people how to PREVENT poor mental health and to live happy and fulfilling lives. Don't wait to talk with them about things until it is too late. A child is never too young to have these discussions. Expressing feelings and emotions, acknowledging them and then learning to deal with them is all the more pertinent with youngsters.
In these challenging times, it surely is an excellent time to start, and to continue working with our children.
Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families - https://www.annafreud.org/
Mind - https://www.mind.org.uk/
Do take care and be safe.
Mr Shroff
