Children’s Mental Health Week is an annual initiative dedicated to highlighting the importance of mental health in children and young people. Schools can use this event to teach about wellbeing by introducing activities and lessons that enhance emotional awareness, build resilience, and strengthen positive relationships.

Below are some suggestions for teaching Wellbeing to primary-age children, not just during Children’s Mental Health Week but all year round.

• Quick activities for primary schools
• Why should we teach wellbeing?
• Self-awareness activities
• Resilience activities
• Mindfulness and relaxation activities
• Friendship and kindness activities
• Minimise assessment stress
• Involving parents in Children’s Mental Health Week
• Linking wellbeing to British values
• How does Kapow Primary support Children’s Mental Health Week?

Quick Children’s Mental Health Week activities for primary schools

If you’re short on planning time, try one of these simple activities during Children’s Mental Health Week:

• Morning feelings check-in using an emotions chart or emoji cards.
• Gratitude journal where pupils write one thing they are thankful for.
• Kindness challenge encouraging children to complete an act of kindness for a classmate or member of staff.
• Mindful breathing break using simple breathing or visualisation techniques.
• Growth mindset discussion about mistakes, perseverance and learning.
• Compliment circle where pupils share positive comments about one another.
• Class wellbeing walk to notice nature and discuss how being outdoors affects mood.
• Reflection time using prompts such as “What made you smile today?” or “What are you proud of this week?”

These activities can be completed in 10–20 minutes and help pupils build self-awareness, resilience, positive relationships and emotional wellbeing throughout the week.

Why should we teach wellbeing?

Research by Oxford Impact highlights several benefits of developing children’s wellbeing:

• Improved academic outcomes: Children with enhanced wellbeing show better concentration, motivation, and academic performance.
• Stronger relationships: Wellbeing development leads to better peer and teacher relationships.
• Resilience and coping skills: It equips children with skills to handle challenges effectively.
• Long-term success: Wellbeing supports personal and professional achievements.

The report emphasises the value of whole-school approaches and integrating wellbeing into the curriculum for lasting positive impacts.

Wellbeing lessons are included as part of all Kapow memberships.

Self-awareness activities for Children’s Mental Health Week

Self-awareness is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence. Help pupils reflect on their emotions and strengths with activities such as:

• Self-reflection journals: Provide prompts such as “What made you happy today?” or “What’s one thing you’re proud of?”
• Feelings check-ins: Use a visual emotions chart where pupils can identify how they’re feeling at the start of the day.
• ‘All about me’ posters: Encourage pupils to celebrate their unique qualities and goals.

Tip: Incorporate activities into morning routines to help pupils start the day with a positive mindset.

Resilience activities for Children’s Mental Health Week

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges, and it’s a skill that can be taught. Incorporate activities that promote perseverance and problem-solving:

• Growth mindset games: Demonstrate how practice leads to improvement using examples such as those found in Year 2: Discover: Perseverance and Year 4: Discover: Resilience.
• Problem-solving scenarios: Pose real-life challenges for pupils to discuss and solve as a group.
• Role-play exercises: Act out situations where pupils practise handling disappointment or conflict.

For more ideas, read our blog on Building Resilience In Primary School Children.

Tip: Praise effort rather than outcomes to reinforce the value of persistence.

Mindfulness and relaxation activities for primary pupils

Mindfulness helps children manage stress and stay focused. Use these simple techniques:

• Guided visualisation: Lead pupils through imagining a happy, peaceful place using sensory prompts, for example, “What do you see?” and “What do you hear?” 
• Breathing exercises: Teach pupils to practise ‘balloon breathing’, where they imagine inflating and deflating a balloon with each breath.
• Relaxation corners: Create a quiet space in your classroom with calming resources such as books or sensory tools.

These RSE & PSHE lessons focus on mindfulness and relaxation:

Year 1: What helps us to feel calm or excited?

Year 3: What can I do when I experience strong emotions?

Tip: Schedule short mindfulness breaks throughout the day to help pupils reset and refocus.

The ‘Take notice’ lessons in the Kapow Primary Wellbeing scheme of work feature mindfulness and relaxation techniques for children.

Friendship and kindness activities

Strong peer relationships build a sense of belonging and mutual care. Promote empathy and kindness with:

• Buddy systems: Pair pupils to support one another during activities or transitions.
• Kindness challenges: Encourage pupils to perform random acts of kindness or write positive compliments or messages with classmates.
• Sharing circles: Provide a space where pupils can openly share their feelings and listen to others.

Explore these RSE & PSHE lessons on friendship and kindness:

Year 1: What is a friend?

Year 2: How can I show my feelings kindly and calmly?

Year 4: How can I build trusting friendships?

The Year 5 lessons on Connecting with others address healthy friendships, challenges in friendships and how to be assertive and respectful.

Tip: Use assemblies to celebrate acts of kindness and highlight the importance of mutual respect.

The ‘Connect’ lessons in our Wellbeing scheme support pupils with friendships and developing relationships.

Minimise Assessment Stress

There’s no doubt that assessment places emotional and psychological strain on pupils. This stress is observable in primary schools even at early stages, such as during the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check and the SATs in Year 6. These assessments, while designed to measure educational progress, can also lead to anxiety and stress among young learners.

Schools can mitigate these stressors by implementing several strategies:

• Preparation and Support: Equip teachers with resources to prepare pupils not just academically, but emotionally. Techniques could include regular discussions about feelings towards tests, relaxation exercises, and presenting assessments as a part of learning rather than an end goal.
• Parental Involvement: Increase communication with parents about the nature of assessments and how they can support their children at home. Providing guidelines on encouraging a balanced perspective on exams can be beneficial.
• Reflective Practices: Encourage a culture of reflection post-assessments, where pupils can discuss what they found challenging and educators can use this feedback to adapt teaching methods and reduce stress.

Involving parents in Children’s Mental Health Week

Parents are key partners in supporting children’s mental health. We’ve created a Wellbeing curriculum guide for parents and carers to encourage parents to:

• Talk about feelings: Choose quiet, uninterrupted moments to ask open-ended questions such as “How are you feeling today?”
• Listen without judgement: Show empathy and patience when children share their thoughts.
• Reinforce strengths: Celebrate children’s achievements and remind them of their ability to overcome challenges.

Tip: Share resources with parents from trusted organisations such as Place2Be, Young Minds, and the NSPCC to empower parents with practical tools.

Linking Wellbeing to British values

Children’s Mental Health Week aligns naturally with the British values of democracy, respect, and tolerance:

• Democracy: Encourage pupil voice through activities such as circle time or class discussions. Citizenship lessons from the Kapow Primary RSE & PSHE scheme of work guide KS1 and KS2 pupils through different aspects of democracy.
• Individual liberty: Help pupils understand and take ownership of their personal growth and understand the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Year 5: Discover: Growth mindset
• Mutual respect and tolerance: Celebrate diversity through storytelling and collaborative activities.

Try this Wellbeing lesson to teach KS1 pupils about respect: Year 1: Give: Sharing.

Support KS2 children with understanding tolerance: Year 6: Connect: Community.

Tip: Use storytelling and group work to reinforce these values while teaching emotional resilience.

How does Kapow Primary support Children’s Mental Health Week?

Kapow Primary provides curriculum resources, assemblies and wellbeing lessons that help schools promote positive mental health throughout the year, with practical activities that can also be used during Children’s Mental Health Week.

The RSE & PSHE scheme is fully aligned with the 2025 RSHE Statutory Guidance.

Wellbeing lessons are available with all Kapow memberships. Learn more about our different pricing and membership options.

For more ideas for Children’s Mental Health Week, watch our webinar on Wellbeing in the classroom.

Incorporating wellbeing into daily school life, not just during Children’s Mental Health Week but year-round, has a transformative impact on children’s mental health, relationships, and academic success. By nurturing self-awareness, resilience, mindfulness, and peer support, schools can equip pupils with essential life skills that support their long-term development. Start exploring these practical ideas today and make wellbeing an integral part of your curriculum!

Further resources

• Place2Be
• Young Minds
• Anna Freud Centre