Arranged as a printable children’s workbook, the PDF combines short explanations, adult guidance notes, drawing prompts, wellbeing checklists and creative activities. The opening pages introduce mental health as something everyone has, just like physical health, and explain that feelings can go up and down depending on what is happening in daily life.
Early activities focus on practical habits children can build into their routine. The top tips page asks children to draw pictures for ideas such as getting enough sleep, doing exercise, eating healthily, asking for help, taking a break, talking about feelings, being yourself and spending time with family or pets.
The looking after your body section includes a simple weekly tick-box tracker for eating five fruit and vegetables, drinking six glasses of water, getting fresh air, doing something enjoyable and getting some exercise. The contents page also shows further sections on breathing, keeping physically active, sleep, friendships, mindful colouring, mindful doodling, happy times, positive self-talk, caring for people and pets, feelings check-ins, worries, emotions, the power of yet, trusted adults, a wordsearch, notes and helplines.
The workbook is especially suited to primary-aged children who benefit from visual, creative and practical ways to explore emotional wellbeing. Parents, carers, teachers, pastoral staff, school nurses, counsellors and child support workers could use individual pages as stand-alone activities or work through the booklet gradually over several sessions.
Adult notes appear on the pages shown, encouraging grown-ups to reassure children that mental health is normal to talk about, to help them generate their own ideas, and to notice when everyday habits are difficult to complete. The pages shown carry NHS Ayrshire & Arran branding.
