We have based them around the 5 ways to wellbeing; Connect, Learn, be Active, take Notice, Give and they are from a mix of Primary and Secondary schools.
Connect:
- ‘Morning Greeters’ at the gate, who stand alongside teachers welcoming children into school to start each day with a smile
- ‘Be Nice to someone New’ campaign to promote connecting
- ‘Being in someone else’s shoes project’: helping students to understand and relate to differences
- Empathy project: encouraging students to connect more with people they don’t know
- ‘Five minute Friendship’ – like speed dating, students are encouraged to talk to new people
- Have a Buddy Stop / Playground Buddies / Playground Pals
- Connect bingo during play times and lunchtimes
- Have a ‘WOW Wednesday!’ lunch time club – the idea of this club is to be out on the playground and field every Wednesday with a different game/activity each week. The Ambassadors will demonstrate the game/activity and then encourage others who are feeling ‘left out’ or not sure what to do at lunch time to join in
- Have a reading shed and Lego table in the playground
- Implement a ‘Worry Box’ system in each classroom which the Wellbeing Ambassadors check on a weekly basis
- Have a ‘feelings’ box – with the school counsellors replying to the comments in a monthly health and wellbeing newsletter
Keep Learning:
- Have a music day where teachers and students who can play an instrument offer to help others try out new instruments
- Connect people through learning different foreign languages
- Carry out a survey to connect students with similar interests
- Encourage students to learn a new skill in their own time and to send in photos of them doing so
- Learn new words that relate to wellbeing
- Keep Learning – teacher reward and acknowledge when students are using 5 Ways
Be Active:
- Sports Leaders leading active play during lunchtime such as: basketball, football, hula-hooping, skipping and den building
- Run a ‘Be Active’ day during Healthy Living Week where, including activities such as dance, an obstacle course and a treasure hunt
- ‘Get active’ monthly fun day with sporting activities
- Happiness walks by the Wellbeing Ambassadors
- Organise a school hiking trip
- Create a gardening club
- Have yoga sessions during school time
- Have a climbing wall in the playground
Take Notice:
- Put a range of prompt questions up around school to encourage children and adults to take notice of others’ emotions such as: can you find someone who needs a helping hand today?
- Run a weekly ‘Mindfulness Club’ where students can come along and spend some quiet time colouring, listening to music and making posters to display on the Wellbeing Board
- Mindful meditation
- Mindful colouring in tutor time
- Train your Puppy Mind – Mindfulness Club and Online Mindfulness Resources
- Have a prayer space event, based around the idea of stillness, where children can come to at lunchtime if they need a place to be still
- A room to go to where you can calm down and work through tough emotions / distress
- Play relaxing music at lunchtime
- Have a ‘Gratitude Project’ – a series of assemblies; videos or resources that encourage students to ‘take notice’ of what is happening in the wider world – such as children who don’t have access to school; women who don’t have rights etc. to encourage students to feel grateful and appreciate more what they do have in their lives such as free education, healthcare etc
Give:
- Promote a local recycling project which the school is supporting
- Charity events
- compliments card pop-up stall
- Monthly thank you notes to students and teachers
Promoting whole school wellbeing ideas:
- Wellbeing Wednesday
- Display the 5 steps to wellbeing on the TV screens around school
- Wellbeing Ambassadors being part of the School Council
- Wellbeing board outside the dining hall
- Put posters around the school, with inspirational quotes and positive affirmations.
- Wellbeing Awards
- Create an infographic that can be shared with staff, students and parents, which highlights the health and wellbeing initiatives.
- ‘Bee Positive’ – a campaign for positive messages to be posted around the school and to be given to students;
- Develop a short film to share with the school about mental health awareness and share simple things that children can do to look after their own health and support others.
- Keyrings with 5 Ways to Wellbeing
- 5 Ways Stickers
- Inspiring Quotes around the school
- Photos up of Wellbeing Ambassadors
- Online Wellbeing Web pages with links to wellbeing resources and support; Cool Connecting an Initiative to promote support and connecting with people including signposting to support inside and outside of schools including Young Minds and Kooth;