This week has been our Mental Health Awareness week, in which the children have experienced lessons, talks and assemblies to help them understand the many factors surrounding their own and each others’ mental and physical wellbeing.
Upper Prep began their week focusing on the view ‘we all have mental health’, watching some useful clips which gave them some consistent and accessible language to talk about mental health, a better understanding of mental health self-care, as well as knowing that there were plenty of people available for support should they need it.
All of Prep took part in some on-line yoga and mindfulness techniques. Year 4R then got the whole school involved during their Friday assembly! The children also learnt about guided breathing – one of the most overlooked – yet most effective – stress management tools. Simply intentionally taking a couple of deep breaths initially can help ground the mind and help to find a moment of calm.
Tuesday’s form time was centred around a healthy lifestyle – both diet and staying active. One key message was that you do not have to be thin to be fit and healthy. Children were encouraged to walk or possibly gently jog around the orchard, the field or generally around the school during lunch break.
The children enjoyed investigating their resting heart rate. Everyone took their pulse for 60 seconds – it was actually quite tricky to count! They then took part in exercise of some description in the classroom for 1 minute – perhaps high knees, squats, or burpees. They then took their heart rate again. There was quite a difference!
There were interesting discussions on what fitness/exercise actually means and how this must be combined with a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle.
On Wednesday and Thursday it was time to keep their brains active and keep learning. Sudoko, crosswords, word unscramble and brain games for all ages were the order of the day.
By Friday it was time for sleep! “Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person’s overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day. Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease, and increased illness duration.”
The children learnt that most teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. For Years 5 and 6 this is 9-10 hours per night and for Years 3-4 10-11 hours sleep per night. They discussed some ideas to aid good sleep:
Be active during the day.
Say goodnight to electronics.
Keep a sleep routine.
EXPECT a good night’s sleep.
During PSHE lessons throughout the week, the topics were centred around anxiety, stress worries and some tools and tips on how to try and overcome these.
It was an informative and engaging week and hopefully all the children learnt some useful tips for keeping their minds and bodies healthy, as well as knowing that they can always find support at school. Thank you to Mrs Wallace and Mr Crisell for organising.
