These are our unwind the mind activity mats.
These mats are a combination of working on the particular topic – e.g. be brave and mighty and relaxation activities through refocusing attention. There are puzzles, mindful colouring, drawing, creating patterns and a little writing.
You can print them A4 but also if you want them bigger, use your printer settings and print them on A3 paper.
These are suitable for KS2 and most of them for secondary too.
These unwind the mind activity mats are perfect for
Before or after SATs or tests
Ending your session
Beginning your session
Morning routine whole class activity
When things are winding down at the end of term
Calming corners
Homework
Transition times
Any stressful situations
We have the following 10 mats along with answer sheets where needed
Be joyful
Be mindful
Be calm
Be positive
Be brave and mighty
Be kind
Be caring to yourself
Be determined
Be friendly
Be proud
Benefits of unwind the mind mats
Both puzzles and mindful colouring are calming activities that can help children relax and unwind after a busy day or during stressful times. Engaging in these activities encourages deep breathing and fosters a sense of peace and tranquillity.
Solving puzzles and colouring mindfully can act as effective stress-relief techniques for children. By focusing their attention on the task at hand, children can temporarily shift their focus away from worries and anxieties, promoting a sense of calmness and emotional well-being.
Puzzles and mindful colouring require children to concentrate and pay attention to details, which can help improve their concentration and focus over time. These activities encourage children to stay engaged in the present moment, enhancing their ability to sustain attention and ignore distractions.
Puzzles can provide children with opportunities to exercise their problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities. By deciphering clues, finding patterns, and making logical deductions, children can develop important cognitive skills that are essential for academic success.
Mindful colouring allows children to express themselves creatively and explore their imagination through colours and designs. It provides a non-verbal outlet for self-expression, allowing children to convey their emotions and feelings in a safe and therapeutic manner.
Successfully completing puzzles and creating beautiful artwork through mindful colouring can boost children’s self-esteem and confidence. Accomplishing challenging tasks and seeing tangible results can instil a sense of pride and accomplishment in children, reinforcing their belief in their abilities.
There are lots more benefits to these activity mats.
This FRIENDSHIP intervention planning resource pack is ready to go. Just print and deliver!
This pack is suitable for WHOLE CLASS as well as group work. If there are teachers out there who have children who just don’t get along then try running this as an intervention during PSHE time. Each lesson will take approximately 40 minutes to an hour.
It is perfect for an ELSA or teaching assistant who has to work with a group of children with friendship issues.
Included in this pack:
FRIENDS certificates (children colour in a letter after each lesson and take them away at the end of the intervention).
7 planning sessions which could be done over several weeks.
40 positive friendship cards
The Key to deserving good friends worksheet
Five posters looking at skills for empathy.
Skills for empathy bookmarks for the children to take away
A ‘Friend’ venn worksheet.
Heart friends template
How to apologise bookmark for the children to take away after the lesson.
This is a HUGE ELSA Secondary worksheet bundle with 68 worksheets that will be helpful for secondary pupils. It will also be good for upper KS2 or for those more mature pupils. It will also be helpful for adults too.
All the worksheets are black and white for easy and cost effective printing. There is minimal clipart.
Areas covered are:
Self-esteem
Emotions
Wellbeing
Anxiety
They can be used individually with pupils, with groups of pupils and whole classes of pupils. Build your lesson around a worksheet.
You could make up a workbook for each child you are working with to help with their specific problems by carefully choosing worksheets that would help them.
Transition to another school or class – My idea for this is that this can be built with a child, combining lessons and creativity and craft. Each component can be a lesson or part of a lesson. It is something for the child to take away at the end of your sessions. You could easily fill 4 to 6 lessons with what is in this lapbook. There are two versions, one in black and white so the child can colour the lettering etc and one in colour where they can just cut and stick. There are two alternative back covers which you can choose to add to the lapbook. One is a game about ‘Changes’ and the other is a weekly feelings diary. Of course you could add one of those to the back cover and just use the other separately.
This resource could be a fantastic end of term project for a Year 6 teacher. The children will love all the little pockets and will be making something to be proud of.
Included in the transition lapbook is:
Name – child writes their name in a colourful way – they could write in bubble writing or decorate it anyway they wish.
Picture– either take a photo of the child to stick here or ask them to draw themselves.
Front cover title – Moving on
My new school or new class worries – What sort of things are they worried about? Use the little monster writing sheets for children to write down their worries to put in the little pocket. Discuss these at each session and help to reassure the child about the changes that will happen when they move class or school.
Questions about my new school or class – This is a perfect opportunity to answer all those questions about the new school or class.
My autograph and message book – Let them collect autographs and messages from friends to take on with them to the next school or class.
My goals and targets – This is a little layered book. The child has to come up with a target for the rest of the term, a target for the summer holidays and a target for the new school or class.
All about me tag book – Lots of questions to answer in this little tag book.
Treasure chest – Includes concertina books with some prompts but also includes a blank so you can ask different questions. The treasure box could contain anything that the child wants to keep safe. They could pop some little photos in there too.
A letter to my future self – What do they hope for in the future? How can they see themselves when they are in the next class or in their new school. What will they be doing? What will they have achieved? Will they have new friends? A letter could also be written telling their future self of what they are doing now, any of their concerns or worries etc.
Friends – The child can write their friend’s name and finish the image to look like their friend. All their friends can fit into the little pocket.
Changes game (back cover)
Feelings diary (alternative back cover)
This Rise and Thrive Teen self-esteem intervention is suitable for pupils in secondary. It may also be useful for mature year 6 pupils. It is a group intervention for approximately 6 pupils. It could be run whole class too.
Self-esteem refers to how a person views and values themselves. It involves having a positive opinion about your own worth, abilities, and qualities. When someone has healthy self-esteem, they feel confident, capable, and deserving of love and respect. Self-esteem is important because it influences how you perceive yourself, how you interact with others, how you handle challenges in life and your mental wellbeing.
An estimate of timings would be:
Review last time and check in 10 minutes
Activity 30 minutes
Review 5 minutes
Next time 5 minutes
Make sure you have 50 minutes to an hour to run the intervention.
There are six sessions to this intervention which will all help to raise self-esteem.
Boosters and drainers – pupils will explore what boosts self-esteem and what drains self-esteem
Strengths and talents -pupils will explore their strengths and talents
Challenging negative self-talk – pupils will learn how to reframe their negative dialogue
Building resilience – pupils will explore how to build their resilience by facing challenges and setbacks
Healthy and unhealthy relationships – pupils will explore relationships
Impact of self-care – pupils will learn the importance of self-care and the impact that has on self-esteem
Included in the Rise and Thrive teen self-esteem intervention:
Planning booklet with 6 fully planned sessions
Self-esteem scale for scaling at the beginning and end of the intervention
Lesson 1 – 36 Booster and drainer cards, Booster and drainer worksheet, emotions and self esteem visual
Lesson 2 – 40 strength cards, Building my strengths worksheet
Lesson 3 – Inner dialogue list for prompting, Challenging my inner dialogue worksheet
Lesson 4 – Resilience diary – front cover and one sheet to be copied multiple times
Lesson 5 – 8 prompts cards for relationships, Profile of a healthy relationship worksheet
Lesson 6 – Self care plan worksheet
This car emotions pack will appeal to younger children. It covers the basic six emotions of:
happy
sad
angry
scared
surprised
disgust
There are a huge bundle of resources in this pack. There are:
6 Full page emotion posters
Emotion cards with and without the words
Dominoes with and without the words
Emotion spinners with the emotion cars with and without words
Emotion spinners with questions on each emotion
Emotion fans with and without words
An emotion game with and without words
Park your emotion with and without words
Scale your emotion with and without words
The feel good game – is a game about self-esteem. The game will promote discussion on positive aspects of the child’s life and will use affirmations and character traits to reinforce self-esteem.
The game could be played on a one to one basis or a group basis. My suggestion is no more than four children.
To make the game
Photocopy or print the game board onto A3 paper then laminate
Print all the cards, laminate and cut into separate cards
Print the ‘I am board’ and laminate, print 4 of each so that you have enough for girls or boys.
The game consists of:
Affirmation cards
Character trait cards
‘I am’ boards
A game board
You will also need counters, dry wipe pens and a die to play.
How to play
Choose the person to go first by each throwing the die and the highest number thrown goes first. Go clockwise from that person.
The first person throws the die and moves their counter that number of spaces.
They must answer the question they land on, however, if they land on affirmation then they must read this out to the rest of the group. Ask the child if they agree with the statement. They may or may not. If they land on a ‘character trait’ they must read it out and explain what it means. If they cannot explain it then ask if anyone else can help? If they think they have this character trait they can write it on their ‘I am board’. The aim is for each child to have 5 character traits on their board at the end of the game. Continue going round the board until each child has their five character traits.
There isn’t a winner as such with this game as the aim is for the children to learn about their positive traits When they have all filled their ‘I am’ board then they are all winners!
You can photocopy each ‘I am board’ before erasing the writing for the next game.
Pupils will learn about what is a kind thing to do and what is an unkind thing to do.
Ideas
Sort a selection of cards between ‘kind’ or ‘unkind’ (Template 1)
‘The kindest thing I ever did’ – comic strip. Ask the pupils to think about a time when they did something very kind. They can draw a comic strip of what happened. (Template 2)
Use the cards as a prompt for circle time. Each child to decide whether they think the statement is kind or unkind. Prompt them to give a reason why.
‘10 kind things I can do’ –Pupils can create a list of 10 things they could do to be kind. (Template 3)
‘Kindness Challenge’ – a simple diary entry each day, listing acts of kindness. (Template 4)
Play a simple board game. Stack the cards where indicated. Use a counter to move around the board. Use a die to roll a number. Move that number of places. If they land on a thumbs up (Smiley face) or thumbs down (Sad face) they pick a card. If they land on a thumbs up and pick a card that is kind then they keep the card. If they land on a thumbs down and the card is unkind then they keep the card. If they land on a thumbs up and the card is unkind then it has to go back onto the pile of cards. The person who collects the most cards is the winner.
Two boards are included for the game to suit younger and older children.
The intervention
Who is if for?
This Anxiety and Worries Group intervention is for a group of up to six children and is led by a teaching assistant. The focus age range would be 7 to 11, although older pupils would probably benefit from this intervention. Children who worry a lot would be a good focus group for this intervention. It runs for approximately 40-60 minutes, weekly for six weeks.
What does it cover?
This Anxiety and Worries Group intervention covers emotions, relaxation, calming down techniques and learning objectives around anxiety and worries. Children will learn about emotions during each session and will also learn relaxation and calming techniques through the ‘relaxation time’. This knowledge and these skills will help them to become more emotionally literate. The warm-up games teach a variety of skills such as co-operation, team work, taking turns, communication skills, friendship, self-esteem and confidence. The coming together of a group fosters a sense of belonging and therefore raises self-esteem. Every opportunity should be taken to promote belonging and friendship. Relaxation exercises will help children to manage their anxiety and these are visited each session.
Information on Anxieties and worries
It is important to mention that anxiety is such a big problem and affects people in different ways and at different things. Sometimes there appears to be no reason for the anxiety. This intervention is about giving children the knowledge to help themselves and to gain a little understanding about what anxiety is. It is NOT about fixing children’s problems but about supporting them through their problems. Anxiety work needs to be done by professionals who have training in counselling or psychology. An ELSA or TA can offer knowledge and support and it is important that this line is not crossed and boundaries are clear. By giving children the self-awareness, knowledge and some relaxation skills you are empowering them to help themselves cope. If you are ever worried about a child then please do refer them on to professional services so they can get the help they need.
What’s included in the pack?
A planning booklet with 6 session plans.
Circle time rules
Warm up games for circle-time
Assessments
Emotion wheels
Emotion wordmat
Certificates
Five Star Breathing poster
NEEDS to know Poster
Emotion cards
NEEDS to know cards
Anxiety physical symptoms cards
Where in your body worksheet
Anxiety cards
Coping strategies poster
Worry tree
Thought bubbles (ants)
Changing those thoughts worksheet
Zap anxiety poster
My Five a day plan
ELSA/Teaching Assistant notes
Resource from ELSA SUPPORT
Print out the skin tone that you require. This resource has five different skin tones to suit all children. There are also 15 different sets of eyes and mouths and a set of emotions vocabulary flash cards. Laminate all the pieces and keep in a zipped bag for convenience. The aim of this resource is for children to begin to recognise facial expressions and talk about their feelings. It is excellent for children on the autistic spectrum. This resource is also very good for early years settings and can be put into an area of provision, allowing children to experiment and make different faces. Can they match the eyes to the mouth? Can they tell you what the expression is that they have made? Parents would also find this resource helpful for their preschool children.
Questions you could ask – can you make me a ‘angry face’? What would ‘angry’ eyes look like? What would ‘sad’ eyes look like? Can you make me a ‘sad face’? Also use other vocabulary such as ‘miserable, frustrated, terrified, proud’.
There are so many possibilities for working with this resource. The cards could be used as a matching pairs game. Lay out all the cards and ask a child to choose a mouth and eyes that match – name the emotion.
Use the face (laminated) for drawing emotion faces. Put it alongside a mirror so children can make faces themselves.
Use the angry eyes and mouth to discuss anger and how to recognise when they are becoming angry. What makes them angry? What could they do when they are angry?
Pick an emotions flashcard(included with the pack) and make the appropriate face.
This bundle of posters and worksheets will help you explore physical signs of 10 different emotions with your pupils. I have included a learning objective to go with each worksheet.
The pack contains the following:
10 Posters covering the emotions/feelings of Worried, happy, sad, angry, irritated, surprised, disgusted, embarrassed, tired and scared.
10 Worksheets covering their signs and sensations
10 Worksheets covering their physical appearance when feeling an emotion
10 Worksheets concentrating on different areas of the body for them to colour
8 Worksheets for coping skills.
This journal will address many areas of a pupils’ well-being. It is suitable for KS2 upwards and even useful for adults! The journal is a way for pupils to find the positives in their life and to discover mindfulness and relaxation.
Here are some of the areas addressed:
Positivity
Emotions
Self-esteem
Focus
Target setting
Mindfulness
Relaxation
Thinking skills
Affirmations
Scaling emotions
Worries
Thoughts and feelings
Emotion tracking
Gratitude/thankfulness
Kindness
Creativity
Reflecting
Planning
Included in the pack:
One weeks worth of journal – each day has 2 pages of things to fill in
Independent journal sheet should pupils want to continue
Worry garage
Positives Jar
2 emotion trackers – dream catcher and mosaic
End of week assessment
Bullet journal sheet for creating
Weekly review
8 front covers to choose from
Doodles, drawings and scribbles sheet
How to use the journal with lots of ideas for using in ELSA Sessions with a pupil – would also be useful to teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentors and counsellors.
Here are a set of 20 Christmas/Winter themed Mindful Mandalas with some lovely quotes to discuss. Pupils can enjoy the mindfulness of colouring along with chat about the quote.
Print as a booklet or just print what you need. You could also blow them up quite large due to the excellent image quality so if you want to do a group colouring you could do.
This is an anger support plan resource pack for older pupils who need help with anger. Perfect for ELSA SUPPORT. The plan is a useful reminder for them and others on what they need to look out for, do, or remember when their feelings of anger get too much. The resource is aimed at upper KS2 and Secondary. The plan is meant to be worked through with an adult. When pupils are angry they need that all important one to one or small group support. Helping pupils to manage their anger is the end result of all the work you do with them. The plan must be done with the worksheet pack .
Included in the anger support plan pack
Fillable form version of the support plan – pupils can fill this in on the computer
PDF form for printing and writing out by hand
9 worksheets working through all the points on the plan
3 information sheets with examples of thought challenging questions, assertiveness script and body signs
The 9 worksheets and activities included are:
Anger triggers
Body signs
What makes anger worse?
What do I need when feeling angry?
Where is my safe place?
Questions to challenge anger
What might distract me?
Who can I talk to?
What coping strategies can I use?
9 pages of useful ‘All about me’ information. You can choose whether to do all the pages or just a few of them depending on the needs of the pupil you are working with. This is suitable from about 10-16 years old. Great for learning mentor, Teaching assistant or ELSA intervention.
Pages included in the ‘all about me secondary booklet’:
About me
Questions time
Personal qualities
Words to describe me
Body image
Staying healthy
Proud moments
Hobbies and interests
Social media
Worries that I have
All about my pets
Things I do to relax
My perfect day
Feelings
My future career
My friends
Things that make me happy at school
School rules
School feelings
How I learn best
Things I don’t like about school
Family tree
More about family
Home feelings
Family rules
Things that make me happy at home
Things I don’t like about my home
Circle of trust
Workbook on RESPECT
28 Page booklet looking at different areas of respect such as ‘Self respect’, ‘respecting others’ and ‘respecting the environment’
This is our Know Yourself Reflections activity for Children’s Mental Health Week 2025
Our Know Yourself Reflections Sheet is a simple and fun tool for children aged 7 to 11 (or older) to explore what makes them unique. This resource encourages children to think about their proud moments, strengths, likes, and feelings, helping them develop self-awareness and confidence.
By reflecting on who they are and what they enjoy, children can better understand themselves and build a strong sense of identity. This sheet is perfect for classrooms, wellbeing activities, or home use, offering a creative way to encourage positive self-reflection and meaningful conversations.
Use this resource to help children celebrate who they are and recognise what makes them special!
Pupils can enjoy colouring in the little characters and shapes whilst talking about the different areas. Simply print out onto A4 and use with your children.
Benefits of the Know Yourself Reflection Sheet
Builds self-awareness – Helps children understand their feelings, strengths, and preferences.
Boosts confidence – Encourages children to recognise and celebrate their unique qualities.
Supports emotional intelligence – Promotes understanding and healthy expression of emotions.
Encourages self-reflection – Inspires children to think about their experiences, achievements, and goals.
Fosters positivity – Focuses on proud moments and strengths, cultivating a positive mindset.
Promotes creativity – Includes opportunities for writing, drawing, and coloring for engaging self-expression.
Strengthens communication – Sparks meaningful conversations in group or one-to-one settings.
Provides calm and focus – Colouring elements add a mindful activity to support relaxation.
Supports wellbeing – Encourages children to explore what makes them happy and calm.
This is an anger scale poster or visual for display or for showing pupils who struggle with anger. It could also be put up in classrooms or work areas.