Davies Sports is supporting Children’s Mental Health Week
Davies Sports is supporting Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s wellbeing impacted by economics
This February marks Children’s Mental Health Week, an initiative devised and run by charity, Place2Be. Now in its tenth year the campaign, aimed at raising awareness of healthy mental wellbeing in primary school-aged children, is arguably needed more now than ever before. But why?
There are many contributing factors. Covid robbed valuable time from young people to establish social skills with peers; skills that would, normally, have been cemented during school hours. There is more to it than this though. The loss of 1,400 youth clubs in Britain over the past 14 years [The Economist, Aug 24] due to sustained funding cuts, has reduced the opportunity for children to social outside school hours in environments that would typically nurture creative and sporting endeavours. Participating in these types of activities allows children to explore their own identities beyond the school environment, discovering what makes them unique and how they can shape their future. Beginning to understand this allows them to surround themselves with likeminded people and create deeper bonds. If our younger years are the most formative of our life, then it stands to reason that developing our social skills and identity is just as important as our academic endeavours.
Healthy mental wellbeing is more than a once-a-year activity
It’s no secret that many British schools are facing tough challenges today: funding, resources, staffing and increased reporting. With a growing scarcity of external provision, tackling a mental health crisis is an added burden for teachers, especially as the NHS reported that 1 in 5 children now have a probable mental health disorder. Children’s Mental Health Week arms schools with ideas and resource packs to help facilitate conversations so children can begin their wellness journey. Whilst there is an emphasis in our society for greater academic achievement, these initiatives seek to address a balance where children can understand themselves, their peers and the world around them. Learning skills in how to express oneself and communicate effectively is much more than a once-a-year activity.
Davies Sports is supporting Children’s Mental Health Week
This year’s Children’s Mental Health Week theme, Know yourself, grow yourself, aims to build mental resilience by helping children discover what makes them tick. Place2Be’s resources have been created so children can explore their personality traits and identity. The more they know about themselves, the more they can tackle life’s challenges and develop coping skills to help manage their feelings through the difficult times.
Key benefits of mental wellbeing activities for children
- Promotes emotional resilience: which helps children develop coping skills to manage stress, anxiety and emotional challenges
- Boosts social skills: to encourage children to build relationships and communicate effectively with peers in various settings
- Supports physical and mental health: Physical activity, like sports or dance, improves overall wellbeing by releasing endorphins and reducing stress
- Encourages self-discovery: activities like Reflection Cards and group-play help children explore their identity and understand their emotions
- Improves confidence: by engaging in activities and achieving personal growth, children build self-esteem and a positive self-image
- Fosters inclusivity: diverse activities cater to different interests, ensuring all children feel included and valued
- Develops teamworking skills: working in teams during activities teaches collaboration, responsibility, and problem-solving
At Davies Sports we firmly believe that increased activity aids better wellbeing both mentally and physically. Whilst there will always be children who excel through traditional school sports such as football, we’ve seen an increase of diverse activities like boccia and archery, with dance another inclusive and expressive medium for children to use as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Reflect, reward and repeat
Maintaining a healthy wellbeing, or any beneficial activity, is about making it habitual. Reassessing behaviours and lifestyle on a regular basis must be woven into the day-to-day. Try these Reflection Cards during PE and sports lessons to help children analyse the outcomes of their play and teamworking abilities. Whilst it is important to acknowledge and reward children who excel through PE and activity, recognising when a child has exceeded their own personal goals is just as important. The aim should always be personal growth.
The importance of Children’s Mental Health Week
Embracing Children’s Mental Health Week allows children to learn how they can make important contributions based on their individual skills. Knowing and working on this creates diverse communities and hopefully, more accepting ones too. Most of all, developing better self-awareness and reflective skills encourages children to embrace their individuality and channel their energy into pursuits that make them happy. Happiness breeds better wellbeing and surely that’s worth a regular investment of time.
About Davies Sports
Davies Sports is part of Findel, an award-winning British resources supplier to the educational market for over 200 years. In June 2024 Findel announced an annual charity partnership with Place2Be, the founder of Children’s Mental Health Week.
We have many more resources schools can use alongside their Children’s Mental Health Week activity packs. Take a look here.
Author: Christine Wheatcroft for Davies Sports.
