1st Edition
50 Wellbeing Lessons for the Diverse Primary Classroom Teaching Through Inclusive Practice
This book is designed to support teachers in promoting social and emotional wellbeing within their diverse classroom. With 50 detailed lessons plans and supplemented resources to promote discussion, each lesson plan contains learning outcomes, activity descriptions and further questions around areas of diversity specific to race, culture and LGBTQ+.
This accessible text offers a collection of activities with supplemented resources on a wide range of pertinent topics that challenge children to reflect, ask questions, analyse and find solutions through open discussion and collaboration. It provides them with the opportunity to explore their feelings and understand empathy and develop coping strategies in order to promote mental wellbeing. The content covered in this resource includes topics such as the psychological impact of discrimination, the Black Lives Matter movement, prejudice, coping with loss, feeling left out, moving school and managing as a young carer.
A practical guide ideal for those new to teaching as well as more experienced practitioners, this resource will help address social and emotional wellbeing through themes that often affect marginalised groups and is crucial reading for anyone looking to embed an inclusive mental wellbeing culture within their school.
Feelings and Emotions
Activity 1 (7-11): What is mental health?
Understanding the definition of mental health
Activity 2 (7-11): My mindful mind
Identify ways to keep a healthy mind
Activity 3 (7-11): Small and Big feelings
Thinking about how emotions and mood change depending on the circumstance
Activity 4 (7-11): How would you feel?
Thinking about how to manage negative feelings
Activity 5 (7-11): Emotional Rollercoaster
Identify the feelings that children may express in a day
Activity 6 (7-11): Keeping Calm
Identify strategies to keep calm in difficult situations
Bullying
Activity 7 (7-11): Raj and his love for football
Recognising the impact of bullying
Activity 8 (8-11): Helping Raj
Finding strategies to support Raj
Activity 9 (9-11): Is this a stranger danger type of thing?
Understand and recognise the impact of online abuse
Activity 10 (9-11): Cyberbullying
Reflect on how to keep safe online abuse
Growth and Fixed Mindset
Activity 11 (7-11): Growth and Fixed Mindset
Reflect the difference between a growth and fixed mindset
Activity 12 (7-11): Super strengths
Identify strategies for cultivating a growth mindset
Activity 13 (7-11): Goal setting
Recognise small and big goals and Identify goal setting techniques
Activity 14 (7-11): Let’s celebrate!
Recognise achievements and the impact that this has on our mental health
Activity 15 (7-11): Tree of growth
Identify achievements that children are most proud of and why
Activity 16 (7-11): Gratitude
Recognise the benefits of demonstrating gratitude
Activity 17 (8-11): Implementing Change
Identify ways of creating positive change and champion mental health
Understanding Ourselves
Activity 18 (8-11): Needs and Wants
Recognise the difference between needs and wants
Activity 19 (8-11): What makes you happy?
Understand that not everything that makes them happy costs money
Activity 20 (7-11) : What makes a good friend?
Recognising the positive impact of friendship on mental health
Activity 21 (7-11) : Making friends
Making friends in a new environment
Activity 22 (8-11): Managing Decisions
Think about the decisions that children make and the impact it has on others
Managing life at home
Activity 23 (8-11): Samita and her mum (I)
Recognising the impact of homelife on emotional health
Activity 24 (8-11): Samita and her mum (II)
Analysing and evaluating strategies for managing difference
Activity 25 (8-11): Young carers (I)
Understanding role of a young carer and the potential impact on emotional health
Activity 26 (8-11): Young carers (II)
Identify the role of a young carer and associated feelings
Coping with loss and exclusion
Activity 27 (8-11): Left out and Forgotten
Identify feelings associated with feeling left out
Activity 28 (7-11): Feeling left out
Recognise the negative impact of exclusion due to individual difference
Activity 29 (7-11): Luciana and her grandma
Understand feelings associated with bereavement
Activity 30 (7-11): My special person
Identifying what makes someone special and why when coping with loss
Resilience
Activity 31 (7-11): Resilience toolbox
Identifying strategies to help children build resilience
Activity 32 (8-11): Madam C J Walker
Learn about Madam C J Walker with a focus on resilience
Activity 33 (8-11): Ali Jawad
Learn about Ali Jawad with a focus on resilience and leading a healthy lifestyle
Anxiety and Depression
Activity 34 (9-11): What is depression?
Recognise signs and symptoms of depression
Activity 35 (8-11): Worrying
Identify the things that make children worry
Activity 36 (7-11): Jasmine’s fear of failure (I)
Identify what causes fear of failure
Activity 37 (7-11): Jasmine’s fear of failure (II)
Recognise how to overcome fear of failure
Activity 38 (9-11): Exam pressure
Recognise how to manage exam stress
Activity 39 (9-11): A new environment
Recognise big feelings associated with moving to a new school
Race, Religion and Culture
Activity 40 (8-11): Life of a refugee (I)
Understand the definition of a refugee or migrant
Activity 41 (8-11): Life of a refugee (II)
Identify and understand the lives of celebrity refugees
Activity 42 (9-11): Psychological impact of Islamophobia (I)
Understanding the definition of Islamophobia and prejudice
Activity 43 (9-11): Psychological impact of Islamophobia (II)
Recognising the impact of prejudice on others
Activity 44 (8-11): What is Black Lives Matter?
Developing an understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement
Activity 45 (8-11): Hope Powell – Being First
Learn about the life of England’s first Black National Football coach
Activity 46 (8-11): Lewis Latimer – Inventor and Pioneer
Learn about the life of black inventor and engineer Lewis Latimer with a focus on character strengths
Relationships
Activity 47 (8-11): My identity
Recognise the definition of identity and relationships
Activity 48 (9-11): My mums are gay
Recognise the impact of homophobia on emotional health
Disability
Activity 49 (8-11): Disability Discrimination
Challenging stereotypes using roles models
Activity 50 (8-11): Imagine my world
Deaf awareness and challenging unfair treatment
Biography
Manisha Tailor, MBE is an experienced primary school practitioner and former Deputy Headteacher. She is company director of Swaggarlicious Ltd where she provides mental health and diversity education and works full time at a professional football club overseeing coaching. She also works for Show Racism the Red Card and The FA delivering Equality Education.
.
"This text will be a great resource for teachers in highlighting the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing. It also offers guidance on case scenarios that can help prevent events happening and ways in dealing with them at a practical level.
A greater in-depth questioning and self-reflection identifies the impact this has on children’s learning and development with a positive outcome."
Mr Umesh Raja, Headteacher (The Swaminarayan Preparatory School).
"Manisha has worked for Show Racism the Red Card now since 2014 and is one of our most skilled and knowledgeable educators of young people. She has delivered equalities training in a wide range of settings, including schools within Inner London and those in less diverse areas of the UK. Manisha has also successfully delivered workshops for SRtRC overseas and is a greatly respected member of our Team. More recently Manisha has led the development of workshops and resources which help young people improve their emotional wellbeing. Some of the exercises from those workshops are included in this publication and I am positive they will be of great use to all teachers working with young people of all ages."
Steve Goodsell, Southern Regional Manager (Show Racism the Red Card).
"Manisha Tailor MBE has been an active changemaker within the sport and physical activity sector striving continually for diversity and equality for sport and mental health with a plethora of very impactful projects. Being the Vice-Chair for Coaching in Sporting Equals' British Asians in Sport and Physical Activity (BASPA) Advisory Board, we know she has the experience, sensitivity and knowledge to share best practice for mental health, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion. We are sure that those who access this guide will gain so much value and insight - leading to an increase in empathy and awareness."
Arun Kang OBE, CEO (Sporting Equals).
