‘My Voice Matters’ – Children’s Mental Health Week 2024
5th – 11th February is Children’s Mental Health week. This year the aim is for all children and young people to be able to say – and believe - “My Voice Matters.”
‘My voice matters’ is about empowering children of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to work together to create a positive change for their mental health and wellbeing by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves.
You play an important part in your child’s mental health. There are a range of resources that have been developed to help you, including this activity for 4-11 year olds.
The Children’s Mental Health week resources include top tips for families, children and young people including what children and young people say they need from us.
Children’s mental health week is also a great opportunity to revisit 10 a day for mental wellbeing and to look at how we can all actively promote our own wellbeing as well as supporting and encouraging others to do this too.
1. Talk about your feelings
2. Keep in touch with the people you care about
3. Ask for help
4. Stay active in mind and body
5. Take a break
6. Do something you are good at and enjoy
7. Eat well
8. Actively care for others
9. Stay hydrated
10. Be proud of your very being
Remember – We don’t all have to use all 10 all of the time, and there may be 1 or 2 you might not use very often. It can help children if we model these and show them how we use them to support our mental health.
Notice – Do you recognise what you and your child’s ‘go to’ strategies are and what works best? What works for your child may be different to what works for you or what you might like them to do.
Think – Are there any you would like to improve on and how might you do this? It can be easier to set smaller achievable steps to reach a goal rather than trying to make a big change in one go. Thinking of this within a rating scale can help. For example, if you feel that you would score as 5 out of 10 for taking a break what would it look like for that to change to 6 and then from a 6 to a 7 rather than aiming for what this would look like at 10/10.
You will find lots of other information on the website that can also support your child’s mental health and where to go if you need more support or you can contact your School Nurse. If as a parent/carer you need support for your mental health you can find out more information and sources of support online at NHS UK or you can speak to your GP, Talkworks, or find your local Andy’s Man’s club.
