Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 runs from 9 to 15 February. The official theme, “This is my place”, this year focuses on the power of belonging and the difference it can make when children feel accepted and understood.
While the theme of ‘belonging’ feels intuitive, the data shows it is a necessity. One in five UK children face probable mental health challenges, and the classroom is often the first line of support. In fact, research shows that a strongsense of school belonging supports children’s mental health and can also improve academic outcomes. Pupils are less likely to be among the 20% of learners who face persistent absence.
Feeling included and valued helps pupils build confidence, manage challenges, and engage in school life.
Teachers already do so much to support pupils’ emotional needs, often without realising it. During Children’s Mental Health Week, it’s not about adding more to your to-do list. It’s about small, intentional moments that can make a meaningful difference.
These ideas aren’t about big programmes or perfect delivery. They’re flexible, low-pressure activities that can be adapted to suit your class, your subject, and your day.
Eight ways to support wellbeing
When time and budgets are tight, anything new needs to be quick, simple and worth it. These activities are designed to be grab-and-go for busy teachers, requiring minimal prep. Supporting wellbeing is vital, but should not add pressure to an already busy teaching day.
1. The undercover kindness mission
Give each pupil a secret buddy for the week. Their task is to carry out small, thoughtful acts without being noticed. An act of kindness could be sharpening a pencil, leaving a note, letting someone go first in line, helping carry a bag, or, for older pupils, sending a supportive message or compliment online.
Wellbeing win: Helps build positive peer connections and encourages pupils to notice the impact of everyday kindness.
2. “This is my place” photo wall
Invite pupils to draw or bring in a photo of a place where they feel safe or comfortable. This could be the school library, a local park, or a quiet corner of the classroom.
Wellbeing win: Connects to the 2026 theme and helps pupils recognise places where they feel calm, secure and at ease.
3. Gratitude jars
Place a jar at the front of the classroom for each day of Mental Health Week. Each afternoon, spend two minutes letting pupils write one thing that went well that day on a scrap of paper. Read a few out before home time.
Wellbeing win: Trains the brain to scan for the positive, reducing the negativity bias.
4. Compliment chain
Start a chain of compliments in the classroom. Each pupil writes a short, kind message about someone else on a slip of paper and passes it on. By the end of the week, everyone has received a note from a classmate. A great exercise in English class.
Wellbeing win: Boosts peer connection and encourages noticing the good in others, helping pupils feel valued and included.
5. Positive post challenge
Encourage older pupils to share one positive or supportive message on a class social media group, school forum, or digital board. It could be a compliment, a shout-out for a classmate, or a small encouragement.
Wellbeing win: Promotes positive online interactions and helps pupils reflect on the impact of kind words in digital spaces.
6.Time traveller tales
A great one for history class. During the lesson, ask pupils to imagine they are someone from the past and write or draw a short story about a day in their life. Encourage them to include feelings, challenges, or happy moments.
Wellbeing win: Helps pupils practise empathy, understand different perspectives, and connect with stories from the past.
7. Kindness stories
In English classes, pupils can write a short story featuring an act of kindness. It could be a real-life scenario or completely imagined. Share a few examples in class. This can be adapted to art where the class draws a cartoon strip about ‘an act of kindness.’
Wellbeing win: Encourages creative expression while highlighting the impact of positive actions and emotions.
8. Team problem solvers
Set up small groups for a maths challenge where pupils must solve a problem together. Encourage them to explain their thinking, listen to each other, and celebrate correct solutions.
Wellbeing win: Builds collaboration skills, confidence, and a sense of achievement through teamwork.
What matters most isn’t which activity you choose, but the message it sends: you belong here, and you matter. When pupils feel safe and valued, learning follows.
Helpful resources to support pupil wellbeing
You don’t have to do this alone. There are free, ready-to-use resources available to support you, whether you’re planning a whole-school activity or a quiet classroom moment. As a teacher, time is short; you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Place2Be offers a range of activities and free packs for primary and secondary schools. These include assembly slides, group activities, and ‘This is my place’ art projects.
Key Stage 1 and 2 – https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/resources/#primary
Key Stage 3 and 4 https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/resources/#secondary
Mentally Healthy Schools brings together quality-assured mental health resources, information and advice for schools. There are practical tips for teaching assistants (TAs) and teachers to spot signs of stress. There is a resource hub for classroom and wellbeing support.
Further free support and training
Our CPD Academy offers training focused on pupil and educator mental health and wellbeing. Courses cover practical strategies, relational practice and understanding behaviour through a wellbeing lens.
All Protocol Education educators can access these courses for free. Training is bite-sized and flexible, making it easy to fit professional development into your busy day. This all gives educators the tools they can use straight away in their classrooms.
We also work closely with Thrive, our sister company, who specialise in supporting pupils’ social, emotional and mental wellbeing through evidence-based approaches.
Thrive’s training and tools support educators to improve attendance, behaviour and mental health by focusing on emotional development and relationships. Their approach helps pupils feel safe, supported and ready to learn.
To support Children’s Mental Health Week, Thrive has a set of free resource packs for early years, primary (KS1 and KS2) and secondary (KS3 and KS4). Each pack includes practical activities and guidance to help pupils explore belonging, emotional safety and connection in age-appropriate ways.
At Protocol Education, we work with schools to support both pupil wellbeing and staff wellbeing. Because when educators feel supported, pupils feel it too.
