Looking for fun Mother's Day activities and ideas for the classroom? Or perhaps there's a child who is coming to terms with a loss this Mother's Day - check out this week's mental health and wellbeing resources for children.
From new grief resources to how exercise impacts mental health, keep reading to see what's new below.
Resources for Mother's Day
We've brought you more fun activity ideas for the classroom and home this Mother's Day, plus you can find even more downloadable Mother's Day activities on our Hub.
Remembering You on Mother's Day
Mother's Day can be an extremely hard time of year for young children who are grieving a loss in their lives. There can be reminders and triggers everywhere, from cards in shops to school activities - if you know a child struggling this Mother's Day, we've brought you a calming remembrance craft to support their wellbeing.
You'll need: Four lolly sticks, green paint and a Be Happy Hub subscription!
Directions: Paint the lolly sticks green and set aside to dry. Print our resource above and have your child write down four things they miss about their loved one on the flowers. Cut out and stick to the lolly sticks. You can display in a pot, or leave somewhere special.
My Mum is a Star
Write the reasons why your mum is a star, cut out and gift to your mum. Also available in mom and mummy. Do you need another name or language? Let us know and we'll personalise this for you for free!
Mother's Day Trophy
Make mum a trophy for Mother's Day and let her know you appreciate all the things she does! This activity does not specify a name so can be used for all caregivers.
My Mum's Cup of Calm
How does your mum relax? What makes her feel calm? This activity is all about helping children to understand the importance of winding down. Perhaps they could do some of these things with mum for Mother's Day?
Design a Mother's Day Mug
Design mum a mug for Mother's Day - perhaps your child could draw all of their mum's favourite things? Or they could simply write 'World's Best Mum!' - finish off by jotting down what mum's favourite drink is!
My Mum Thinks and Feels...
This activity is all about helping children to empathise and place themselves in their mum's shoes! What does mum think and feel? Have them write down some thoughts and feelings they think their mum has during the day!
Exercise and Mental Health
Most of us are aware of the connection between exercise and mental health, but did you know that activity levels in children drastically drop off from age 7?
We want to help children understand that exercise is not just good for their physical health - but also their mental health too! So we have some new resources to help encourage children to get active and help them learn all about how exercise improves their mood.
How Exercise Makes Me Feel
We've created this resource to help children learn about the impact of exercise on their emotions firsthand - so let's put those endorphins to the test in this fun experiment!
Have your child log their emotions 1 hour before commencing an activity or sport, and 1 hour after finishing. What do they notice? Have their emotions changed? Do they feel different? You could do this experiment as many times as you wish, trying out different sports and activities to see which ones help lift your little one's mood the most!
Get Active!
Help children think about how being active is good for their mental health - how do they like being active and how does it make them feel?
I Like to Move It, Move It!
Being active doesn't just mean playing a sport or being part of a club - there are lots of ways we are active in our daily lives - and there may be lots of ways we can be MORE active too! Help children to think about their activity levels during the week - what do they do? Perhaps it's going to the park or walking to school - write their actions in the basketballs. If they can't think of enough activities to fill the balls - then it's time to think of ways they can incorporate more exercise into their week!
New Grief Resources for Kids
The Grief Reef
There's something so calm about the ocean. In this new grief worksheet for young children, help them navigate the negative emotions of grief and what they can do when they feel each one.
When I'm Missing You I Can...
Another grief resource this week as we know that Mother's Day and holidays can be hard times of the year. Have your child write down what they can do to channel their emotions when the pain of missing their loved one becomes too much. This activity also doubles as a calming exercise, if they are extremely worked up, they can press the dots as they breathe in and out. Have them press the purple dots first, then the yellow ones.
When Someone I Love is Poorly
Lots of children have to navigate their lives with sick caregivers - this worksheet can be filled in whether the caregiver is suffering from a physical illness or mental illness. Having a parent or guardian who is ill can be a source of worry and anxiety, this activity helps children to process their emotions and think of ways they can cope and feel helpful and supported.
This week's *FRIDAY FREEBIE!* - For Mailing List subscribers only
Helpful or Unhelpful?
HELPFUL OR UNHELPFUL? Help children to learn how to look after their mental health with this card sorting activity! We've given you 34 activities - which are helpful for our mental health and which are unhelpful? We want children to learn how to look after their own wellbeing from an early age and this is the perfect activity to help little ones get to grips with ways we can take care of our minds. This activity also hopefully shows that there are so many things we can do to help our mental health - that's why we've purposefully included lots more helpful things than unhelpful things.
Directions: Print out, laminate (optional) and cut out all the cards. You can either use the small helpful and unhelpful cards and ask your child to hold them up, or you can use the bigger cards and ask your child to sort the cards into piles. Spend time discussing each activity card and how this makes them feel - is it helpful or unhelpful?
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