World Mental Health Day / Children’s Mental Health Week assembly
This whole school assembly can be used to mark both World Mental Health Day in October and Children's Mental Health Week in February. It is designed to help children become more aware of strategies and behaviours that support mental health.
The resource comprises teaching notes and a PowerPoint presentation. The assembly is intended to be approximately 20 minutes long.
The assembly includes a video clip fiveways.rochdale.gov.uk/what-do-the-5-ways-to-wellbeing-actually-mean .
You may also want to play the music track ‘Happy’ by Pharell Williams and have some props available, for example, a football, a musical instrument, a skateboard, ballet shoes. You will also need a mixing bowl and spoon, a broom and an envelope.
A sample strategy from the assembly:
- Take notice
This means taking time to be aware of what is happening around you. If you go to a local park or on your walk to school, notice the plants and trees, listen to the birdsong, feel the wind on your face. These are all opportunities to be grateful for the world we live in. It’s also important to take notice of how you are feeling and how others are feeling.
Ask: Did any of the children take notice of the music as they came into assembly? How did it make them feel? Why? Take a couple of responses.
