Snow has blanketed most of the UK giving us all the festive feels - and we're about to bring you even more Christmassy vibes with these week's resources! We have 31 new activities for you - let's take a look at some of them below.
Did you know that 10,000 children in the UK lost a parent to Covid during the pandemic? That is a staggering statistic. This week, we've decided to focus on bringing you resources to help children cope with grief at Christmas. Grief can seem especially hard during the holidays and for young children who don't understand death and struggle to understand and communicate their emotions, it can be even more confusing and upsetting.
Plus, this week our 12 Days of Mindful Christmas is back! We've brought you 12 new, calming activities designed for the period between Christmas and 5th January. Keep scrolling to find out more.
12 Days of Mindful Christmas - Our 12 Days of Mindful Christmas is all about bringing you some much needed calm to the chaos and the emotional rollercoaster that is the festive season, particularly the period between Christmas, New Year and the start of January. There are such a huge range of emotions during this time for many children - the excitement of Christmas Day, changes to routines and then heading into January - the comedown of all that Christmas cheer (for those who enjoy Christmas - as we know, not every child does). For children celebrating Christmas - or for those who find the festivities a bit too much - we have designed a mindful activity to complete each day, ranging from 10 minutes to half an hour. You can do them in order, or you can print and use as you wish. Read more about our 12 Days of Mindful Christmas and each of the resources here.
Coping with Christmas Grief Resource Pack - This week we also bring you a small resource pack to help children navigate grief at Christmas. Grief can be especially hard around the holidays where there is a big focus on family. Christmas also has a way of re-stirring old feelings of grief that may have settled over time, this can be especially confusing for children. Help children to explore and cope with their grief during Christmas with our resource pack, featuring 10 Christmas themed activities. Explore our Grief pack here.
Feeling Ho-Ho-Hopeful - Hope is an important emotion in mental health recovery - this week we bring you a resource exploring the feeling of hope and looking forward to the future. Have your child draw something they are hopeful for and looking forward to in 2023 in the snow globe.
Take a Reminder - Trim Santa's Beard by Tearing off a Positive Statement! - Spread some festive cheer this Christmas by reminding your children just how amazing they are! Also comes with a blank version if your child wishes to create their own.
In My House I Feel... - We've created this resource to help vulnerable children communicate how they feel at home. This is a great resource for social workers or charity workers who may be supporting young children from homes where there has been a history of abuse or neglect, or just to get an account of how a child feels when they are in their home environment. Do they feel safe, happy, calm? Or are they scared, worried and sad? Have the child shade in the emotions they feel.
How Do You Feel Today? - A fun activity for our little minds this week, have younger children colour in the Santa's sack that best represents the emotion they feel. Older children can write the emotion too!
Christmas Bauble Colouring - We have more mindful colouring for you this week including this fun Ho Ho Ho bauble, find it in our Christmas section for all ages!
Christmas Activity Sheet - This is a perfect resource to lay out on your Christmas table this year to keep little minds active and calm as they wait for food or enjoy the festivities. Featuring four different puzzles and activities!
If I was an Elf... - Have you ran out of ideas yet for your visiting elf yet? Perhaps he could leave this fun mindful activity! Have your child imagine what it would be like to be an elf in Santa's workshop using all their senses. Using our senses is a great way to feel calm and grounded.
More Christmas Colouring! - Another Christmas colouring sheet - because we know that you may need lots of mindful activities to keep little minds calm and busy over the next few weeks!
Christmas Word Search - Word searches and puzzles are great mindfulness and calming activities that take children away from bright screens and help them focus.
January Mood Tracker - Manage the Christmas come down and track your child's emotions throughout January using our winter-themed mood tracker. Find it in the WinterFest section of our Hub!
All our new resources mentioned above can be downloaded from the Be Happy Hub right now. Not a member? You can sign up here.
Have you signed up to our Secret Santa? - Get Free Mental Health Resources to your Inbox now!
Our third secret resource was sent out on Friday evening to our Secret Santa members - have you signed up? You can still download all our previous activities and sign up to receive our next two activities here.
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