Parent/Carer Support

Wellbeing Wednesday: Listening

/ / Parent/Carer Support, Wellbeing

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

Listening

“He understands badly who listens badly.”  Welsh proverb

Listening is an important skill that helps us to feel connected to others and the world around us. When we listen, we can learn new things, solve problems and interact with people around us. This is great for our mental health as we are using our minds and connecting with people.

Try out these games to test your listening skills:

1 – Sound hunt!
Close your eyes and listen carefully to the sounds around you. See how many sounds you can identify in a minute. This type of listening activity helps us to connect with the world around us, which can help us to feel calm.

2 – Weekend catch up
In pairs, partners should take it in turns to talk for 1 minute about their weekend. The children should then ask each other questions about their weekend, to see if the listener could remember what they did. Each partner can score points for each question they answered correctly.

3 – I went to the supermarket, and I bought a…
As a group, sit in a circle. The first person says, “I went to the supermarket, and I bought a…” and they choose an item, for example an apple. The next person has to repeat that sentence and choose their own item to add. For example, “I went to the supermarket, and I bought an apple and a book”. Keep going around the circle adding items. If someone forgets an item, you move onto the next player. It gets harder as you go!

These last two games encourage ‘active listening’, where you are taking in the information you are hearing. This is a useful skill to practice. You can also practice this at home, trying to remember what you have heard on a programme or video!

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Wellbeing Wednesday: Caring

/ / Parent/Carer Support, Wellbeing

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

Caring

Caring is about looking after the needs of yourself and others. There are lots of ways you can show others that you care, showing kindness, compassion, love, support and being thoughtful.

It is equally important to take time to care for ourselves, sometimes termed ‘self-care’. This can help us to increase our resilience and sense of self-worth. Allowing yourself time to engage in activities you enjoy and make you feel good, along with recognising unkind thoughts and trying to replace these with kinder thoughts can be part of caring for yourself.

Caring for others can help us feel connected, purposeful, and close to those we care for. These things are positive for our mental wellbeing. Can you think of a way you’ve shown care for someone this week?

Everyday millions of people in the UK give additional care to people they know through helping with everyday living tasks. Young Carers may also be responsible for looking after younger brothers and sisters and doing household chores. If you are, or you support a Young Carer, you can find local carers support by following these links:

Our tips for being caring:

  1. Caring Chain – write down an act of caring they can do for another person or for themselves on a strip of paper. Create a paper chain with each of these strips, by folding and linking them together. This can then be displayed and children can be encouraged to give a new act of caring a go each week.
  2. Try to identify 3 ways you have been caring towards yourself and 3 ways you have been caring towards others. Then, set a goal for another caring act you can carry out over the following week.
  3. Take time to practise self-care! Follow this link for some ideas of how you could be kinder to yourself.

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Wellbeing Wednesday: Laughter

/ / Parent/Carer Support, Wellbeing

Tips For Wellness from Dragonfly: Impact Education

A day without laughter is a day wasted – Charlie Chaplin

Laughter is truly the best medicine and can have a hugely positive impact on our mental health. There are even laughter workshops and laughter coaching emerging in many places.

Why is laughing so good for us?

Laughing releases endorphins and relaxes your body and mind. Even if not engaging in full on laughter, smiling relaxes the mind and body. One interesting study suggested that it is actually the belief that the happiest people increase their wellbeing because they smile more frequently.

Our top tips for making the most of smiling and laughter:

  1. Keep It Real! Not all smiles are equal! In 1862, anatomist G B Duchenne noted that a muscle which surrounds the eye is only used in smiles that are real and not those that are posed. It’s these real smiles and laughter than release the endorphins so find things that genuinely make you happy!
  2. Find What Works For You: Our sense of humour is very individual. Some people like slap-stick humour whilst others prefer witty repartee! Don’t feel any pressure to follow the crowd but rather experiment with lots of types of comedy until you find something you like.
  3. Your Thoughts Matter: It’s really difficult to genuinely laugh or even smile if our thoughts are unhappy, so try to challenge negative thinking. Reframe this kind of thinking to positive (or neutral) thoughts and smile. This sends a signal to your body that everything is OK. It can be helpful to have a bank of happy thoughts that you bring to mind if you catch yourself in a negative spiral – things that always make you feel positive: loved ones, pets, beautiful experiences or views

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Reception Admissions 2025

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This week, parents/carers of children starting Reception in September 2025 received their school place confirmations. There are still a small number of places available for our new Reception class, starting in September 2025. Please contact the school for more information on [email protected]

We are looking forward to meeting our new parents/carers for our ‘New Parent/Carer’ meeting in May. The school will be sending out information during the week commencing 28th April.

Wellbeing Wednesday: Stress Awareness

/ / Parent/Carer Support, Wellbeing
Tips For Wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

Stress Awareness

Stress is what you feel when you’re worried, nervous, or under pressure. It’s your body’s way of
reacting to things that feel difficult, scary, or too much to handle. Everyone feels stressed sometimes!
Stress can come from lots of things, such as:

  • School – too much homework, exams, or feeling like you have to do really well.
  • Friends – disagreements/ arguments, bullying, or feeling left out.
  • Family – disagreements/ arguments, moving house, or changes like a new baby in the family.
  • Big Changes – starting a new school, growing up, or losing someone you care about.

Some stress can be good, but too much can cause us to feel anxious or depressed, which might
affect our sleeping, eating habits and general wellbeing. If stress is going on for a long time, we may
also experience ‘burnout’, which is when our body is exhausted and has not had a chance to rest.
There are things we can do to help our body recharge and reduce stress:

Our tips for managing stress:

  • Talk to someone you trust. This helps you not to feel alone, because someone is there to listen
    to you and to care. Remember – it’s okay to ask for help!
  • Stress bucket activity – follow the QR code/link to complete your own stress bucket. This may
    help you to see what is contributing to your stress, as well as what helps you to feel calmer.
  • Moving your body can help to release stress and make you feel good. Why not try dancing to
    your favourite song or going for a walk with friends or family?
  • Get creative – Art has been found to help people feel present in the moment and reduce the
    feeling of stress and worry. Follow the QR code/link for more information!
  • Create a calm corner – It is important to have somewhere that you feel safe, and you could go
    there when you feel like you need a break. You could fill the corner with soft things like pillows
    and blankets, and is the perfect place to read, draw, or even listen to calming music!

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Mental Health in Schools

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Cannon Park Primary School is now part of the Mental Health in Schools (MHST) Team, which is an NHS service that has been introduced as part of the national plans to expand mental health services for children, young people and their families within the education setting. For more information, please click here https://cwrise.com/mhst/

Our current priority in working with MHST is to find ways to better support our families regarding mental health. Good mental health in school is important for everyone. To help us better understand how you find support in our school,  we would be grateful if you could complete the questionnaire on the link below. 
https://forms.office.com/e/vSptiwgRk3?origin=lprLink 

Please come and speak to Mrs Smith if you have any questions.

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