It is during the final weeks of January and the first weeks of February that most teachers and children in the Southern Hemisphere begin their school year. Parents breathe a sigh of relief as the long holidays come to an end and teachers and children look forward to the year ahead with mixed feelings ranging from the excitement of a new adventure to anxiety or even dread. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Children’s Mental Health Week falls in the first week of February.
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s Mental Health Week runs from 3 – 9 February this year. The purpose of the week is to encourage children to look after their bodies and their minds. A positive classroom environment that is both welcoming and supportive helps to ensure children stay happy with healthy mental attitudes. It supports the development of self-esteem, self-confidence and the development of social skills, including getting along with others.
Here at readilearn, we can help you establish a supportive classroom environment and provide you with teaching resources that focus on developing social-emotional skills. While these are appropriate for any time of the year, a special focus during mental health week provides opportunities for reading books and engaging children in activities that are conducive to positive attitudes.
Of special note this year is that many children in Australia may begin the school year distressed by what they have personally experienced or may have seen or heard about the bushfires that have caused so much damage to our country.
While I am unable to give specialised support for dealing with trauma, this article in the Conversation has suggestions to help teachers support students, and includes links to other information. It is pleasing to see that extra funds have been made available to assist teachers and students who have been affected by the fires. If you have been affected and I can support you with a free subscription to readilearn, just let me know.
Resources for a supportive classroom environment
You can find suggestions for establishing a supportive classroom in these previous posts:
Continue reading: Special Days and Events for Classroom Celebrations — February – readilearn
Norah, I always appreciate the reminder how the school year in the Southern Hemisphere is very different than the Northern Hemisphere. I appreciate how mental health is addressed for all ages. From what I see, children in Canada do get specialized support for dealing with trauma. We are all deeply saddened by the fires in Australia.
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I’m so pleased to hear there is good support for children who are dealing with trauma in Canada, Erica. We all need more ways to help each other. The fires in Australia are devastating. And still they continue to burn. Thank you for your support.
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Norah, it’s good schools are becoming more aware of the importance of the mental well-being of their students and weeks such as this will be a benefit for the teachers and students. Yet, here in the UK, I feel there is a shortfall at times between good intentions and reality, often with conflicting help/lack of help within the system.
The trauma from the bushfires must be horrendous … it’s tough enough just having seen the terrifying images on television. How to make sense of it all to young ones?!
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Annika, I think that shortfall is all over. It is difficult for teachers to be everything to everybody, which is often the expectation. We are only human after all.
What you’ve said about the bushfires is true, Annika, and now we have the awful coronavirus to contend with.
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children’s well-being is crucial, thanks for flagging others about it!
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Thank you for your support, Kate. 🙂
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my pleasure Norah 🙂
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💖
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Didn’t know about Mental Health week–thanks. I know World Reading Day is arriving in early Feb.–the 1st maybe?
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Read Aloud Day is the 5th (I linked to your article). I’m not sure about World Reading Day. I’ll have to check. But every day should be reading day in my books. 🙂
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Such good thoughts and ideas here, as always. I think it’s fabulous that you all have a Children’s Mental Health week. In so many countries mental health in children is ignored and not addressed. My 11-year-old granddaughter was relating to me how she took a ‘mental health’ day last week from her 6th grade class. She had a scratchy throat, and was exhausted, so her mom allowed her to stay home (alone! the neighbor was on stand by) and my Grand said “Oh, to sleep in until 11, take a long time eating a piece of toast, looking out the window at our birdfeeder, then a hot shower and reading a book. It was such a fun (nothing) day!” We ALL need mental health days! xo
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How lovely that your granddaughter is able to take care of her mental and physical health. Someone must have done something right!
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I’d like to say that her grandmother is a good role model. 🙂 We do yoga poses together, and even meditate. xo
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Then you certainly are!
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I agree!
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What a wonderful relationship for both of you. 💖
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xoxo
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Agreed!
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How wonderful, Pam. We do all need mental health days from time to time. I’m pleased your granddaughter is learning to look after herself.
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She learns from the best – hahaha. xo
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But of course. 🙂
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I like that there is a week that focuses on Mental Health.
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It’s actually a UK week, Jim, but I’m happy to ‘borrow’ good stuff from anywhere. 🙂
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Each new year is always full of wonder and excitement for teachers and students alike. I remember not being able to sleep the night before the first day of school. I am glad to see the focus on mental health, especially given the circumstances in Australia. I still remember teaching the day that the Twin Towers came down on 9/11. Parents and children alike were suffering and dealing with all kinds of anxiety.
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Your book “They Call Me Mom” is full of wonderful advice for teachers, Pete. I’m sure many young teachers (and not-so-young) reap many rewards from reading it. In fact, it may help them sleep a little better.
What a dreadful thing was 9/11, and how it changed the world. It must have been difficult to calm the children when you probably didn’t feel very calm yourself. I know that even here, so far away, we just stayed glued to the television, watching the replay over and over and over in disbelief. (I wasn’t in the classroom at the time so didn’t experience the effect on children.) I’m sure you would have lots of good advice for others about dealing with trauma. (I haven’t finished reading yet.)
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I hope many parents and teachers who fit the criteria will take up your kind offer of a free subscription Norah – the linked post was so full of so many resources for different events, there is a life times work here that is clear to see.
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Thank you, Pauline. I’m delighted to be able to help out other teachers in any way I can. We all spend so much of our time and resources on teaching materials. If I can reduce that a bit for some, I’d be very pleased.
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It’s so important to have a positive classroom environment and great that you provide the resources to help teachers set up such a classroom. This is great, Norah!
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Thank you, Miriam. I’m pleased you see the value in the resources.
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You’re welcome, Norah. Readers are thankful for your resources!
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Thank you again, Miriam. 💖
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You’re welcome, Norah! ❤
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Ooh, love the Cloth of Dreams idea, Nor! Fabulous!
xoxox
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I’m pleased you followed deep into the links, Robin. I agree. The Cloth of Dreams idea is fabulous. What a wonderful way to develop creativity while giving children an opportunity of expressing, and discussing their feelings.
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