Pobble blog

20 well-being writing ideas that support children's mental health

Written by Anna from Pobble | 06/06/22 11:21
At Pobble, we're passionate about writing, but we're also committed to supporting the mental health of children and fellow teachers. 
 
Evidence shows that learning about mental health and wellbeing in schools can lead to significant improvements in children's mental health and social and emotional skills. It can also lead to a reduction in classroom misbehaviour and bullying. 
 
Further evidence also suggests a link between writing and mental health. Not only can writing improve your creativity and memory, but it’s also a great stress reliever. Writing down thoughts, feelings and emotions can boost mindfulness and increase calm. A study by The National Literacy Trust after Covid school disruption found that 41.3% of children said that writing makes them feel better. With that in mind, we’ve created 20 well-being writing ideas that educate children about their mental health and that of others, as well as promote gratitude, kindness and self-care. You could complete one a day in class as a writing warm-up, set the sheet as homework for the children to choose from or run longer well-being writing sessions in class… The choice is yours! 

 

 Here's the full list of activities:
 
1. What can you do to make today a good day for you and others? Write down your plan.

2. Attitude for gratitude! Write a list of all the things you are grateful for.
3. Start a ‘Joy Journal’, every time something positive happens or you feel good about something, write it down.
4. Write down your answer to the following sentence...The one thing I wish people knew about me is…
5. Think back to your best day ever! Write a diary entry about what happened and why it was so good.
6. Do you know what to do if your mental health isn’t feeling good? Design a poster to explain what to do to help.
7. Music is great for mental well-being! Write down the lyrics of your favourite happy song or you could write your own!
8. Write a poem about what you’re proud of. You could use the word PROUD to create an acrostic or write it in any style you like.
9. Write down small acts of kindness and collect them in a box in your classroom. Your classmates can take one and do something kind for someone each day.
10. What would you do if you thought your friend was feeling sad or depressed? Write down your answer.
11. Complete the following sentences: “I am happiest when…” “My favourite thing about my personality is…” and “The thing that is unique about me is…”
12. Superpowers! If you could be a mental health superhero, what would your power be? To make people happy when they are sad? Or something else?
13. Inner voice - Write a motivational speech to yourself. Keep it somewhere safe and read it whenever you need a boost.
14. Something that makes me feel… Write a sentence for each of these words: Happy, excited, grateful, silly, proud, and amused.
15. Create your own recipe for good mental health - what will you include? A teaspoon of sunshine? A sprinkle of self-care?
16. Complete the following sentence with a compliment and then pass it on to someone. “Hey, you! I just wanted to let you know that…”
17. An A-Z of you! Write a positive word about yourself, your personality or your appearance for every letter of the alphabet.
18. Start a ‘Self-esteem Scrapbook’, collect items that make you feel good. It could be cards, photos, certificates or something else. Write down the date you got it and why it's special.
19. Write about a time when you accomplished something you didn’t think you could.
20. Write a letter to a friend or family member telling them why they are important to you. This will remind you how lucky you are to have them and make them smile too!

 

Want even more mental health writing inspiration? Pobble's quick writes are created in our unique lesson builder, meaning they are easy to access, edit and share with your class, whether they are learning in school or at home. Many writers are unsure where to start and may struggle to find the right words to express their thoughts, so we've included a word bank with each activity that will reinforce key vocabulary and prompt their thoughts. You'll find our children's mental health writing prompts on Pobble.

About Pobble

Pobble provides exciting daily writing resources to inspire your young writers. You'll find incredible images with ready-made writing activities that engage and motivate your class, 365 days a year. Teachers, get started here.