Spread a Little Kindness: Children’s Mental Health Week
Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will mark the start of Children’s Mental Health Week (6th-12th February) by joining ‘The Big Assembly’ hosted at a Place2Be primary school today.
This year, Children’s Mental Health Week focuses on kindness, and its benefits for wellbeing. It can be difficult to know how to help someone going through a difficult time, but small acts of kindness can make all the difference.
The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families has developed and delivered pioneering mental health care for over 60 years and believe that every child and their family should be at the heart of the care they receive.
All week, we are encouraging children and young people to ‘spread a little kindness’ in their schools and at home, for example by looking out for classmates who may be having a difficult time, listening to how they feel, and if they need it, asking an adult for help.
Our Chief Executive, Professor Peter Fonagy, said:
“It takes genuine effort finding something original and kind to say to someone. Unexpected generous comments activate brain networks linked with pleasure and happiness. If someone was kind to us, we are more likely to be generous with the next person we meet. Kindness spreads, and spreading it makes happiness spread.”
We have developed illustrated top tips for spreading a little kindness aimed at teachers, parents and children, designed by the talented Toby Newsome. Do get in touch if you require these in other formats.
Join us in using these images as a conversation starter to help as many children and young people as possible learn the importance and value of kindness.