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Anyone working in the childcare sector knows one thing for sure: the last couple of years have taken a huge toll on the children you care for, their families and of course you too.

While it may seem repetitive to restate the impact COVID has had, it’s too important not to keep repeating it. The effects that the pandemic has had on all of our mental health are significant and I’m not just talking about during the height of the pandemic, the impact is still emerging now.

Maybe you’ve noticed your children are struggling with more separation anxiety. Or perhaps you’ve observed a greater number of children struggling with their speech and language? 

The fact that such dynamics are being seen as we emerge from the pandemic is no coincidence. We know from data from a recent study published in the British Medical Journal that babies born in the pandemic are showing some developmental delays. The reasons cited are parental stress and less social interaction.

So, given as industry experts and leaders we know that the pandemic has affected us all, what can we do about it? 

How can we support children, their families and ourselves move through the impact that this pandemic has created? 

This is a question that is likely on many of your minds – and it’s a big one!

When we speak to the nurseries using our program they describe how they felt about delivering mental health and wellbeing education before they launched myHappymind.

They talk about how they felt worried or unsure on how to broach mental health education. They sometimes felt like they were not qualified to teach it or worse still, that they don’t want to bring it up in case it lead to a child, parent or colleague revealing something that they didn’t know how to handle. And so, this would often lead to them feeling that it was better to avoid the conversation altogether.

So, we get how it can feel hard to delve into the development of a mental wellbeing strategy that actually works. We understand that this can feel overwhelming and heavy, but it doesn’t need to be like this.

Let me introduce you to myHappymind, we’re an award-winning organisation providing NHS backed mental wellbeing solutions to primary schools, nurseries and homes. We take a unique view on the development of a whole setting mental wellbeing culture that supports staff, children and parents.

Here at myHappymind, we’re advocates of a positive and proactive approach to mental health so that children are learning positive, fun habits to look after their brains from the youngest of ages.

Not only is this proven in science to work but it also makes the learning fun, easy and something that early years practitioners are happy to dive into with the children (and themselves!)

To show you how a positive and proactive approach can work, this Children’s Mental Health Week we’ve come up with some free activities for you to dive into and try with your children, you can download them for free here :

Each of the 3 activities builds on the theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week which is all about growing together. The activities are designed to be creative and inspire positive conversations and all the prep is done for you so that you can just dive in! Because mental health doesn’t have to be scary, it doesn’t need to feel heavy – we’re on a mission to show you that and we can’t wait for you to get started!

We can’t wait to hear what you think and would love to see pictures of the creations you inspire with the children. You can follow us @myhappymind

To learn more about myHappymind, why not check out a short tour here: