Welcome to our Wellbeing Page!

Click the image above to watch...

You can access each section of this page by clicking on the arrow next to the word

About

Here at Sylvester we are developing a positive ethos and culture towards a whole school approach to being a mentally healthy school. A mentally healthy school is one that adopts a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

A whole-school approach also involves all parts of the school working together and being committed. It needs partnership working between senior leaders, teachers and all school staff, as well as parents, carers and the wider community, not forgetting our school council who are trained in peer support.

We work with families to ensure the whole school community is welcoming, inclusive and respectful. It means maximizing children’s learning through promoting good mental health and wellbeing across the school – through the curriculum, early support for pupils, staff-pupil relationships, leadership and a commitment from everybody.

Please use this Wellbeing page and resources to help find out about how our school supports your child’s mental health and to access resources and support for any concerns you may have about your child’s mental health. .

Wellbeing Team

Rebecca Tomlinson— Assistant Principal

Donna Hayes—Learning Mentor

Nicola Addison—KS1 Teaching Assistant

Read All About It!

CURRENT CONCERNS AND WHAT’S IN THE NEWS!

Unlocking our Lockdown Memories and Feelings

Experiences create our memories, some of our memories fill us with joy and happiness and some may leave us feeling sad.

During this time of ‘lockdown and isolation’ why not share with your child some of your happy memories during this time:

• Playing in the garden

• Celebrating NHS—Thursday ‘clap’

• Decorating rainbows

• Sending thank you messages to key workers

• Cleaner environment

• Having a lay in

• Cleaner environment

• Late nights

• Bike rides

• Walks

• Cooking

• Movie nights

• Joe Wicks

Share with your child some of your unhappy memories during this time:

• Not being able to go out whenever I wanted

• Hearing the news that people have died from COVID-19

• Not seeing friends

• Not being able to celebrate special occasions

• Not being able to go to school

• Feeling worried about COVID-19

• Celebrations cancelled

• Worried about family catching COVID-19

• Not being able to see relatives

Crush Coronavirus

When trauma strikes a community as in the case of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the prospect of children returning to school can be daunting for all concerned. However, returning to school is an important milestone, because it is essential that the children get back to some form of routine after the sudden impact of ‘lockdown’. Although we will do our best to provide a stable environment within school we will have to be mindful of the ongoing risk assessment and change as we try to establish new routines to help adjust to the new environment as we move towards opening school to all children. Reassurance is key to the stability and security for all. Children find comfort in the familiar, and going back to school helps build emotional and mentally resilient children. Whilst COVID-19 is a physical virus its impact on our mental health and well-being mustn’t be overlooked. It is understandable that some children might be hesitant about returning to school.

Adults and children alike can sometimes become stressed. Our bodies and brains have ways to respond to stress that can help us in difficult situations such as starting a new job or first day at school. Our body releases stress hormones which raise our heart rate and blood pressure. Our brains focus on the stressor and this helps us to respond quickly. Our responses may be fight flight or freeze. These responses help us manage with normal everyday stresses in life. Once we have adjusted to the stressor or it has gone we can begin to relax.

It’s normal to experience some form of stress and anxiety following a traumatic event, whether it’s the coronavirus pandemic, or any form of loss, change or separation, all of which can have varying degrees of impact on the mental health and well-being of our children, families and staff. Children may pick up information from multiple sources. Ask them what they know about the coronavirus pandemic and correct any misinformation. Explain what is happening using simple age appropriate language. Ask your child what messages they have heard.

Useful Links

We regularly use external resources in supporting our children, here are a few we encourage you to use:

https://www.annafreud.org/schools-and-colleges/

https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/apps-delivering-self-help-strategies/

Recognising the signs that a child may be struggling with their mental health can be really hard. A round up of help and tips to help you support children who may be experiencing depression, anxiety, suicidal feelings or self-harm from the NSPCC

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/childrens-mental-health/

Heads Together work to ensure that people feel comfortable with their own and their friends and family everyday mental health and wellbeing.

https://www.headstogether.org.uk/

Mentally Healthy Schools brings together quality-assured mental health resources, information & advice for primary schools in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/

Now more than ever Barnardos want to offer support to children, young people and families in need. Have a look at this link for more practical advice on how to talk to your children about the pandemic, tips on healthy eating on a budget, helping young people understand their own anxiety and much more.

www.barnardos.org.uk/coronavirus-advice-hub

NSPCC

NSPCC Website

PANTS Guide

Taking a Few Minutes - Thinking & Thoughts

Each image in this section will take you to a YouTube video centred around the topic captioned below the image.

Childhood Development Growth Mindset

Mindfulness

Empathy

Mindfulness

Coping with fussy and frustrating feelings

Listening to your body

Challenge your brain

You are not your thoughts

The Invisible Boy

Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset

Kindness

Just like the section above, each image can be selected and they will take you to the corresponding YouTube video!

Kindness Lesson

Colour Your World With Kindness

How Full is Your Bucket?

Kindness Boomerang

The Kindness Book

Mindfulness Exercises

5,4,3,2,1, Grounding Technique

Using our senses we can learn some calming technique’s that enable us to manage feelings during stressful times. Below is a countdown activity.

Think of 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.

To begin, close your mouth and take in a deep breath through your nose then slowly breathe out through your mouth.

5—LOOK: Look around for 5 things that you can see, and say them quietly to yourself. For example, you could say, I see the computer, I see the cup, I see the picture frame.

4—FEEL: Pay attention to your body and think of 4 things that you can feel, and say them quietly to yourself. For example, you could say, I feel my feet warm in my socks, I feel the hair on the back of my neck, or I feel the chair I am sitting on.

3– LISTEN: Listen for 3 seconds. It could be the sound of traffic outside ,the sound of typing or the sound of your tummy rumbling.. Say the 3 things quietly to yourself.

2—SMELL: Say 2 things you can smell quietly to yourself. If you can’t smell anything at the moment name your 2 favourite smells.

1—TASTE: Say quietly to yourself 1 thing that you can taste. It may be the toothpaste from brushing your teeth, or what you ate for breakfast/lunch. If you can’t taste anything, then say your favourite thing to taste. To complete: close your mouth and take in a deep breath through your nose then slowly breathe

Videos

Calm Meditation

Mind Yeti

Breathing Exercise

Yoga

Access each of these resources by clicking on the pictures!

Yoga for Kids

Cosmic Kids Yoga

Anxiety Helper

...and breathe!

Calming Strategies

Each of the resources below

Rainbow Breath

Bubble Breath

Hot Chocolate Breath

Mindful Morning

Rainbow Work

Starfish Breathing

Mindfulness Break

Worry

Facing Fears and Worries

To begin this session play a stand up, sit down game.

Explain that you are going to ask your child to either stand up or sit down if any of the things you read out are something they feel frightened of or are worried about.

Stand up or sit down if you are frightened or worried about:

• Spiders

• Mice

• Thunder and lightening

• Bees and wasps

• Moving class

• Meeting new people

• Going to school

• Dentist

• Dogs

• Going to parties

• Snakes

• Dark space

• Changing Routines

• Doctors

• Not having Friends

• Nightmares

• Parents arguing

• Swimming

• Going to bed

• Heights

• Visiting other homes

• Loud Noises

• Moving School

At some point all of us feel frightened or worried about something and this is normal. It’s natural that we may have more than one fear or worry, as we get older some fears go away. It’s OK to have fears or worries especially when things are changing.

You don’t have to pretend that everything is OK, when you are worried or frightened, it’s good to talk about your feelings and share them with people you trust, and this is the first step in facing up to your fears and taking some control.

Why not support your child in having them draw or write their fears or worries.

Video Resources

The Huge Bag of Worries

Tapping for Anxiety & Stress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fURb6Tf3h-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnhR40dm3hc

Laughter Therapy

If you’re feeling down, laughter really could be the best medicine.

Laughter has so many benefits for the mind and body and the positive effects of laughter travel through your body and produce all these happy benefits.

Benefits of laughing:

PHYSICAL HEALTH—provides low impact exercise, regulates blood pressure, reduces pain. Increases oxygen, boosts the immune system.

MENTAL HEALTH—helps to think more clearly, breaks cycles of negative thinking, stress management,.

EMOTIONAL HEALTH—helps depression and anxiety, helps boost happiness and joy.

SOCIAL HEALTH—Improves cooperation, communication, and empathy, improves connection.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH—Inner harmony, joy and peace.

Laughter songs: Here’s a song you can sing to the tune of BINGO

There was a boy who liked to laugh ‘cause lighting is such fun-oh, haha hahaha, ha ha hahahah, ha ha hahaha cause laughing is such fun-oh’

There was a girl who liked to giggle ‘cause giggling is such fun-oh he he hehehe, he he hehehe, he he hehehe cause giggling is such fun-oh’

There was a baby who liked to laugh ‘cause laughing is such fu-oh, tee hee heeheehee, tee-hee heeheehee, tee hee heeheehee cause laughing is such fun-oh’

Ask your child to draw on a body outline where they felt the effects of laughter, this will help them gain a deeper understanding of their laughter therapy experience.

Anger

How to help if your child is experiencing anger

What is anger?

Anger is a normal emotion which can be useful in our lives. It can, however, be destructive and disruptive in respect of relationships, behaviours and learning.

Signs you might see in your child— You may see excessive outbursts of physical or verbal behaviour such as fighting or shouting. It’s normal for teenagers during adolescent stages to have periods of emotional outbursts displaying signs of anger, but it maybe an indicator of other underlying situations or conditions that could require further support.

• With your child, identify any underlying trigger factors or situations that create feelings of anger.

• Help your child to ‘problem solve’ possible situations that cause anger.

• Give your child the opportunity to have some time out when feelings of anger build up, in order to diffuse those feelings.

• Talk to your child about our bodies and how they can change - specifically talk about how your child’s body changes when tension builds before an outburst of anger.

• Encourage your child to look for signs such as increase in temperature, sweating, breathing faster and pulse-racing.

• Do not mirror your child’s behaviour as this will cause it to escalate. Instead, manage the situation adopting a calm and controlled approach.

Encourage your child to try things to relax, such as:

● Going for a walk/run

● Listening to music

● Reading a book

● Seeing friends

Deep inside everyone a red beast is sleeping...

Self Esteem

How to help if your child is experiencing low self-esteem

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is how someone thinks about themselves. Being confident means being comfortable with how they look and how they feel; it means feeling good about themselves, their abilities, and their thoughts. Low self-esteem is when someone is lacking in confidence and doubts their own decisions and abilities.

Signs you might see in your child

Your child may have poor eye contact, defensive body-posture, be withdrawn and have poor levels of participation in class activities.

Your child may engage in negative self talk, such as, “I'm not good enough” or, “I can't do this” or frequently show signs of absorbing negative comments such as, “My mum/dad says I'm not....”.

How you can support your child

Focus on positives and find something to praise your child about, such as being kind or being good at sport, etc.
Encourage your child to do more enjoyable activities - things you know your child previously enjoyed.

Focus on 'small wins', don't chase big achievements. Do the little things and use them as a springboard. Your child should be encouraged to feel proud of even small achievements.
Use the Five Ways to Wellbeing as a tool to support your child, maybe use it to make some goals together
Explore positive role models and discuss what makes your child feel good about unique differences.
Discuss and practise positive body language, encouraging good posture and eye-contact.

If your child is still giving you cause for concern,

you may wish to discuss with your school or your GP

Anxiety

How to help if your child is experiencing anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of fear or panic. We all get it from time to time when we try a new experience or things that are difficult. This feeling goes back to the Neolithic time when humans were surrounded by dangers. Anxiety is the body’s alarm system that sends adrenaline around the body and gives people superhero-like boosts to allow them to run away from dangers. It’s known as the FIGHT, FLIGHT (avoiding or running away) or FREEZE response. When children get the FLIGHT or FREEZE response they may find themselves staying away from activities and people. The longer they stay away, the harder it is to go back.

What you might see in your child

Your child might display or experience different behaviours, such as: Feelings: frightened, worried, angry, nervous, embarrassed or overwhelmed. Behaviours: avoiding situations, withdrawing from social settings, biting nails, sleeping issues, tearful, struggling to concentrate, hyper-vigilant. Thoughts: worrying that nobody likes them, 'I can’t do it’, ‘I must do this’, catastrophising, negative thinking. Physical signs: frequent tummy aches, headaches, shaky hands, tense muscles or scratching.

If your child is very young, regular routines around bedtime and getting ready for school can help with separation anxiety.
It helps if you can prepare your child in advance, explain what is going to happen and why - using a calm tone of voice. Pay particular attention to situations your child may find overwhelming such as crowded spaces.

Check your child is eating healthy meals regularly to ensure balanced physical and mental energy levels.
Ask your child what they are thinking when they feel anxious. It can help to ask your child to draw a picture of him/herself with a thought bubble above his/her head to show this.
If your child is over the age of five, it might be helpful to talk about his/her worries to an understanding adult - this could be someone outside the immediate family.
Help your child to control breathing when feeling particularly anxious by visualising blowing out a big bubble. The key is to encourage your child to blow out for longer than breathing in.
Re-focus the child’s attention using music, exercise, creative activities, fidget toys or stress relief aids.

If your child is still giving you cause for concern,

you may wish to discuss with your school or your GP

Low Mood

How to help if your child is experiencing low mood/depression

What is low mood/depression?

Feeling sad is a normal reaction to everyday life experiences. However, when these feelings continue and begin to interfere with a child’s enjoyment of life, he/she may be feeling depressed. In its mildest form, depression can mean a child feels low. Feeling sad is a normal reaction to everyday life experiences. However, when these feelings continue and begin to interfere with a child’s enjoyment of life, he/she may be feeling depressed. In its mildest form, depression can mean a child feels low.

This may not stop a child from leading a normal life but makes everything harder to do and less worthwhile. At its most severe, depression can be life-threatening because it can make a child feel suicidal. Depression can be caused by lots of things such as life experiences, family history, bullying, feeling like he/she has a lack of support, or it may even run in the family.

What you might see in your child

You child might display or experience different behaviours, signs, and feelings such as:

Feeling: worthless, hopeless, moody, guilty or helpless. Behaviours: tearful, irritable, withdrawn, avoiding friends and family, lack of interest in appearance, difficulty in concentrating.

Thoughts: ‘I don’t deserve any help’, ‘what’s the point?’ Dismissing the positives, negative thinking patterns, including not wanting to live anymore.

Physical signs: tired, eating changes, changes in sleep pattern, aches & pains, slowing of speech.

Encourage your child to exercise regularly and keep an eye on diet, avoiding sugary/fatty foods and stimulants.

Gently encourage your child to continue to do activities previously enjoyed - even if the enjoyment has lessened.

Try to identify any factors that may be contributing to your child’s low mood such as environmental issues, age-related physical illness, friendship issues, etc.

Help your child to identify a trustworthy adult to talk to.

Help your child to identify and access a safe place.

Encourage your child to be around people who are caring and positive. Both negative and positive thoughts are contagious.

Sleep

How to help if your child is experiencing problems sleeping

How much sleep does a child need?

All children are different, but generally each night:

Children aged 3-5 need 11-12 hours
Children aged 6-11 need 10-11 hours
Teenagers need 9-10 hours.

How you can support your child

Make sure your child is comfortable. Not too hot, not too cold. Make sure the room is not too noisy or bright.
Establish a good bedtime routine. For example a warm drink, a warm bath, bedtime story and say goodnight. Aim to get up and go to bed at the same time every day.
Encourage your child to do some exercise particularly late afternoon or early evening, but not late in the evening to avoid overstimulation.
Help your child to relax before bed - reading a book, listening to music.

Why do children experience sleep problems?

There can be different reasons:

Bedtime fears - many young children are afraid of the dark or being left alone.
Bad habits - such as napping too much during the day, eating a poor diet, use of electronic devices before bedtime or

substance abuse.

Anxiety, low mood or depression
A chemical imbalance in the brain.
Nightmares, sleepwalking, night terrors or insomnia

Things to consider:

Avoid going without sleep for a long period of time.
Encourage your child not to have too much caffeine or sugar in his/her diet.
Encourage your family to have supper early in the evening rather than late.
Don't allow your child to lie in for too long. After a bad night, don't let your child sleep in the next day, this will just make it harder to get to sleep the following night.
Don’t allow your child to play computer games or overuse phones and other devices close to bedtime. Screen time may help with boredom, but it can make it harder to get to sleep as the mind is stimulated. Stop a couple of hours before it's time to sleep.
Monitor your child's general online activity—including the types of games he/she is playing online and social media use couple of hours before it's time to sleep.

Trauma

How to help if your child is experiencing trauma

What causes Trauma?

Trauma is a reaction to the experience of events involving threat or danger to yourself or others. Personal experience can cause this, or sometimes through witnessing or hearing about terrible events that have happened to others. Children and young people sometimes witness or are involved in things they find very scary or stressful such as accidents, violence or terrorist attacks. It’s quite normal to be upset for even quite a while after a frightening event. Trauma has been described as ‘normal reactions to extraordinary events’, If reactions continue for over three months, then it may be necessary to explore professional support.