Last week was #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek! Due to lockdown and the strange times we find ourselves living in, there has never been a more important time to focus on mental health and well-being. As an adult, lockdown and all the changes to 'normal life' aren't easy to cope with, and children are affected too.

As a nursery, we are therefore doing what we can to promote mindfulness and relaxation with the children, as well as encouraging them to explore and understand their emotions.

For #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek, we introduced some new mindfulness techniques to the children! Our apprentice, Ashlea, did some children's yoga with small groups; they loved trying to get into different animal poses! Anna, our Under-Twos Room Leader, has been doing relaxing exercises with the children, encouraging them to concentrate on their breathing, as well as singing songs about emotions, such as  ‘If you’re happy and you know it!’ The older children, were invited to create self-portraits, which sparked lots of conversation and helped them with developing their self-awareness. They've also been playing with puzzles to do with emotions and identifying and exploring feelings.

Have a look on our Facebook page to see some of these activities!