Further resources:

• Catch up with an interview with Dr Alex George, Government Mental Health Adviser and author of award-winning children’s non-fiction book A BetterDay, as he talks about his own lived experiences and shares some tops tips for good mental health on the Read for Good website.
• The Reading Well Programme provides booklists that help young people of all ages understand and manage their mental wellbeing.
• Take a look at the Mental Health and Wellbeing book packs for KS1 and KS2 from Best Books for Schools.
• LoveReading4Kids produced a list of 80 titles that can help children and young people understand their emotions and cope with feelings of anxiety for Children’s Mental Health Week.
• BookTrust has compiled lists of recommended titles for all ages that explore issues of mental health and emotional literacy.
• Beano for Schools in partnership with Young Minds has created a series of lesson plans featuring favourite Beano characters to help children understand their emotions and mental health better. The lesson plans include a short animation, PowerPoint presentation and activity sheets. There are versions for KS1 and KS2 and everything is linked to the PSHE curriculum in England, Scotland and Wales.
• To help primary schools mark Children’s Mental Health Week 2024, the National Literacy Trust produced assemblies and lesson plans based on Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. The resources are designed to encourage pupils to explore what mental wellbeing means and to reflect on the ways the characters in the book look after their own wellbeing. You can also download assembly presentations for primary and secondary schools that highlight the relationship between reading and wellbeing. All website resources available with the NLT’s free membership.
• The Wellbeing Wednesday teaching schemes are fully resourced wellbeing teaching programmes designed to cover a term’s learning for primary schools.
• The What’s Up with Everyone campaign is designed to increase mental health literacy in young people. It provides a series of animated stories with a companion website covering topics such as Perfectionism, Loneliness and Social Media.
• Sign up for the free Mental Health Champions training course from Place2Be. The award-winning five week course is delivered online with regular start dates to choose from.
• The Mentally Healthy Schools website is a mental health information and resource hub for schools.
• Wellbeing Connected is a free-to-access Mental Health and Wellbeing training tool created by LGfL – The National Grid for Learning to help primary schools develop the skills and confidence to support their pupils, communities and staff.
• Healthy Minds is a set of free resources to support teacher-led workshops and activities for UKS2, KS3 and KS4 students produced by LGfL – The National Grid for Learning in partnership with mental health charity Young Minds.