Mental Health Literacy in School and at Home
by Brianna MacDonald (thecareco.online)
If you’ve spent the last 3 years wondering how you can make mental health and wellbeing more accessible in the classroom–you’re not alone. Since 2020, students Australia-wide have experienced worsening mental health symptoms, struggled with isolation, and adapted to living and working in silo environments away from their peers.
Knowing that poor childhood mental health was on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic, The Care Co knows it’s more important than ever to consider how all educators can bring interactive, engaging, and (most importantly) accessible mental health literacy into every classroom.
Why? Read on to learn our take on the increasing global need for mental health to be included in every school and how educators, parents, and guardians can start encouraging wellbeing habits both in school and at home.
Changing Life Skills and School Settings
From parents and guardians to teachers alike, those of us who work with, live with, and support kids often come to a stand still when we start considering how to better teach wellbeing and mental health skills. And rightly so; even before the onslaught of COVID-19 studies showed increases in the occurrence and severity of poor mental health in Australian kids. With post-pandemic research now showing an even further uptick in the number of kids experiencing poor mental health since March 2020, the urgent need for better mental health literacy in children is evident–but we’re left trying to manage a problem without a scaleable, kid-friendly solution.
Ever the optimists, The Care Co team likes to look for the silver lining and opportunities that came about during the last few years. A once rarity often limited to schools whose tuition fees and community demographics could afford it, most education providers now have the digital means and resources to successfully teach online. The end result? Many kids are back in the classroom–and their classrooms are better equipped with the devices and resources needed to adopt more modern lessons.
problem (rising rates of poor mental health in kids) and matching it with this opportunity (most schools’ new ability to teach and learn online) we believe there has never been a better time to shifting the conversation around what and how we’re teaching.
First on the priority list? Mental health skills. Read on to learn more about how innovative technology can equip parents and educators with the means to better teach positive coping habits and how easy it can be to bring kid-friendly mental health literacy into your school.
Pairing Primary Education and Psychology
Want to help your students or children adopt mental health habits they can rely on? Call us biassed but school is one of our favourite ‘hows’. With an environment developed around routine, structure, and consistency, The Care Co knows that schools can be one of the best allies for every family and child when it comes to teaching, practicing, and adopting great mental health skills.
Unsure how to where to begin when it comes to planning accessible mental health lessons? Here are three unique ways that leading, kid-friendly psychology practices can be integrated into the classroom.
Reading and Writing: Journal Reflection or “Letter to Myself”
A great practice for students at every age, encourage kids to write a letter to themselves (or you!) and reflect on the thoughts and feeling they have been experiencing. Another great tip? This exercise can be extended on by encouraging students to cut up and place each sentence or reflection into a “thoughts” or “feelings” bucket. Helping kids to recognise the difference between thoughts and feelings is a great practice in CBT.
Crunch and Sip Sessions
Interested in offering your students some quiet time to sit and reflect? Crunch and sip is a great in-class practice for students to share their thoughts and experiences with educators and peers. While some students may relish in this social activity, others may best recoup from a busy day through dedicated time alone. If it suits, students can use their crunch and sip time to practice mindful eating and learn to use solo time to recharge instead of being overwhelmed by more peer-to-peer interaction.
Art Class: Create a My Favourite Things Board (or Drawing!)
Not only can art lessons support kids development and understanding of shapes, colours, and their respective vocabulary, encouraging students in every grade to create a “My Favourite Things” board can help them recognise what existing positive habits they have.
A creative way to identify what make us feel our best, having students reflect on and create their own list of people, things, and activities that can give them a boost when feeling down is a great way to introduce kid-friendly self-care.
Easy enough? By considering the best practices of paediatric psychology and pairing them with familiar activities commonly seen in most primary schools, teacher and parents alike can start to encourage wellbeing awareness and skills in all kids–no matter their age, ability, or background.
The Care Co Make Mental Health Literacy Accessible (and Fun)
The Care Co is an Australian startup on a mission to revolutionise mental health and wellbeing literacy for kids. Knowing that every child can be taught the core mental health habits they need to navigate life’s ups and downs, our tech team has brought together the best of paediatric psychology and primary education to design a fun, interactive app that’s easy to use for students and teachers alike.
Dedicated to arming the next generation with the skills they need to succeed, The Care Co will be available to Australian schools and students aged 5-12 in early 2022. Committed to making our digital mental health activities accessible for all young people, we’re continually learning, researching, and developing our app to see how we can integrate basic mental health literacy into every classroom, worldwide.
You can follow along or learn more about how easy it is to use The Care Co in your classroom at www.thecareco.online.
About Brianna
Brianna is the founder of The Care Co--we're teaching kids aged 5-12 mental health habits in the classroom and beyond. Designed for seamless integration into every day lesson plans, The Care Co considers the education needs and abilities of all kids so they can learn the social-emotional skills they need to succeed.
