From the Head of Primary
Next week, in Primary, we are celebrating Wellbeing Week. There will not be any changes to the timetable but around 50% of curriculum time will be devoted to activities focused on Wellbeing. Time dedicated to educating our students about the importance of wellbeing, and getting them to try out different activities which can help to improve wellbeing. We live at a time where children are feeling more under pressure than ever, the added stress of living through a global pandemic means that helping children with their emotional wellbeing is more vital than ever. Here are five simple steps to help with your child's wellbeing:
Step 1. "Be yourself"
Helping children to recognise their character strengths is a great way to build their confidence and appreciate the uniqueness they bring to the world. By shifting the focus from the things they can’t do to what they can, you emphasise the positive aspects of their character. Character strengths aren’t dependent on an outcome or a particular achievement; they’re the core virtues that make us who we are. Encourage children to notice and appreciate their own strengths, and those of others too.
Step 2: "Be grateful"
It can be easy to feel other people’s lives are better than our own, especially when we’re bombarded with perfect images on social media. We can get stuck thinking others are more beautiful, have more money and fun, or simply ‘have more’. And children are just as susceptible as adults to this comparison trap. So how can we help them (and ourselves)? One idea is to bring attention to what’s working well in your/their life by developing gratitude skills. To develop these skills, you can use techniques such as starting a gratitude jar, writing a gratitude journal or having a gratitude conversation
. Step 3: "Be mindful"
Our minds can be very busy, getting pulled into thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Finding ways to focus on what’s happening in the present moment is another way to build your child’s wellbeing. There are different ways to help children develop their mindfulness skills, which will probably work best if you join in too (especially if there are younger children involved). A way in which you can help develop these skills is drawing for 10 minutes. Set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge the children to draw something they can see. This activity isn’t about what the drawing looks like, it’s about whether they are able to focus on the activity and bring their attention back when it wanders.
Step 4: "Be kind"
Kindness is a win-win for wellbeing. The research shows us that when we’re kind to others, we not only boost each recipient’s wellbeing; it tends to have the same effect on our own sense of wellness too. Being kind can help us connect with others, and our relationships play a crucial role in our mental health and wellbeing in the long term. There are hundreds of ways children and adults can show kindness every day. And it can be fun to sometimes turn these acts into larger events, to really emphasise their importance and value.
Step 5: "Be resilient"
Being resilient means bouncing back when you encounter challenges, setbacks or failures. We all go through times when we struggle, so building our resilience is crucial to helping us cope. One way to build resilience in children is to help them develop a growth mindset. This relates to the belief that our abilities and intelligence can develop with practice, feedback and effort. Children with a growth mindset are more likely to try again when they fail at something, and also to attempt to learn how they can improve.
Marianne Taylor
Head of Primary
November
Monday 30th: Start of Wellbeing Week
December
Monday 1st: Baby Bulldogs Webinar (for parents of children aged 12-30 months) 6pm
Thursday 3rd: Pre-Kinder & Kinder - Second selection of resources - available for collection between 2.30 and 4.00pm.
Friday 11th: Last day of Extracurricular Activities
Friday 11th: Deadline for donating to our Christmas Baskets campaign
Friday 11th: Deadline for completing ‘Parent Comment’ for your child’s report
Monday 14th: PK Christmas Show 2pm
Monday 14th: Kinder Christmas Show 3pm
Monday 14th: 2nd Grade Christmas Show 5pm
Tuesday 15th: 3rd Grade Christmas Show 5pm
Wednesday 16th: Prepa Christmas Show 2pm
Wednesday 16th: 1st Grade Christmas Show 3pm
Wednesday 16th: 4th Grade Christmas Show 5pm
Thursday 17th: 5th Grade Christmas Show 5pm
Friday 18th: Last Day of Term
Monday 21st: Christmas Holidays start
January
Monday 11th: School resumes after Christmas Holiday
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