What we do Primary Schools Primary Wellbeing Being physically active is instrumental in improving our wellbeing through the release of endorphins and connecting with others. Combined with mindfulness and meditation, learn about ways you can promote total wellbeing in your school. Why is it important? Wellbeing is defined as 'the state of feeling healthy and happy'. With a significant rise in mental health issues in children and young people, there has never been a greater need for schools to promote wellbeing whether through healthy eating, physical activity, mindfulness or meditation. The benefits of this approach include: Enhancing pupils' mental health Improving self esteem Increasing resilience in children Improving trust levels Wellbeing Free Resources With mental health high on the agenda and childhood obesity on the rise, schools play an important role in supporting pupils' wellbeing. Free resources you might like to try or signpost your pupils to, include: IMoves have a bank of free mental wellbeing resources including growth mindset activities, dealing with anxiety, relationship building ideas and active blasts. They also have a wellness calendar to support Children's Mental Health Week from 7 - 13 February 2022. The Better Health, Healthier Families website offers fantastic recipe ideas, sugar swaps and shake ups (10 minute games) which are great for quick bursts of activity to improve mood. Signpost your children to the Reading Well website which supports people to understand and manage health and wellbeing using helpful reading. Try Cosmic Kids yoga videos to focus and help calm young children. Choose the appropriate length of video and level of energy. Try Go Noodle to try practising mindfulness as in school or as a family. Maudesport has developed a free resource that will help you teach yoga to your children and even get involved yourself. Originally developed as a lesson plan for primary school teachers, you can now download the resource which includes free, printable pose cards. Visit the mental health and wellbeing or healthy eating pages of the Healthy Shropshire website. NHS Get Active Your Way provides information about how much activity you should be doing as well as resources to help you do that activity whether for children, older people or whole families. Primary League Primary Stars offers resources for wellbeing topics such as self esteem, resilience and health and wellbeing. Invest in Wellbeing Furthermore, there are additional resources which can be purchased using PE premium funding to help promote wellbeing in school: Subscribe to Fitter Future to access a series of short activities including guided visualisation, Yoga and Pilates to use in classrooms and at home. Sign up to IMoves who offer a range of guided meditation, Yoga and Pilates videos as well as Wellbeing webinars and reports. Try CalmBrain to improve emotional stability, behaviour and manage mental health. Sign up for the Wellbeing Award for Schools with Optimus Education. Case studies If you are looking for evidence of how beneficial it can be to promote wellbeing in school, take a look at the case studies below: Learn about the effects of daily mindfulness activities in school in this video case study from Short Wood School who integrated Calm Brain into their timetable. Read about initiatives undertaken at Market Drayton Infant and Nursery School to improve whole school wellbeing. Read case studies from schools who have implemented the Optimus Education Wellbeing Award and what effect the changes have had on pupils and the school ethos. Read about the impact being active had on girls as part of the This Girl Can campaign. Read the latest views and statistics from parents about wellbeing in school in this YST research project. Learn about the Creating Active Schools Framework from Leeds Beckett University to promote physical and mental wellbeing in primary school children For more information Please contact: Claire Mansfield