World Mental Health Day in the PYP

World Mental Health Day is observed around the world on 10 October. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and explore how we can take care of it and improve our well-being.

PYP students marked the occasion through a range of age-appropriate activities.

Grade 1 students explored the importance of getting to know ourselves, recognising our feelings and taking care of our mental health through discussions, shared activities and time spent outdoors. Together, we created a poster and talked about what makes each of us special and unique, and how our personal qualities, interests and feelings help us understand ourselves and others. Through sharing ideas, students were encouraged to recognise and appreciate both their similarities and differences, while developing a sense of belonging, acceptance and mutual respect. As part of our Nature Journaling practice, we spent time outdoors observing changes in nature and exploring autumn fruits and seeds. We collected natural materials, examined them carefully, drew what we observed and recorded our findings. These activities gave us an opportunity to slow down, focus on the world around us and express what we saw and felt through drawing and by engaging all our senses. In this way, we connected mental wellbeing with creative expression and spending time in nature. Students practised careful observation, expressing their feelings, listening to one another and showing respect for others. They also explored how time in nature, creativity and connecting with others can help us feel calmer, safer and better.
Grade 2 students watched videos and other age-appropriate content before making their own feel-good boxes.
Grade 4 students explored the theme Who We Are through the line of inquiry Physical and Mental Health Are Equally Important. As part of their summative assessment, they prepared activities and presented them to Grade 3 students. Their aim was to help their younger peers become more aware of their mental health and understand how it relates to our thoughts, feelings and behaviour, as well as to physical health, healthy eating, sport and keeping ourselves and others safe at home, at school, in traffic, on the street and online. They designed a range of activities, including emotion stickers, an emotional thermometer and a path to health. They also created puzzles and demonstrated breathing techniques, dance moves and exercises that can help us feel better when we are sad, scared, angry or worried.

Grade 5 students marked the day by watching a relevant video and taking part in a discussion. They then reflected on how activities such as spending time with friends and learning can affect their energy levels, identifying what drains their energy and what helps them recharge..

Good mental health is an essential part of our overall health and wellbeing, and it is important that we nurture and take care of it!

Together, we created a poster and discussed what makes each of us special, what makes us unique, and how our personal qualities, interests and feelings help us understand ourselves and others. By sharing ideas, we encouraged students to recognise and appreciate their similarities and differences, while developing a sense of belonging, acceptance and mutual respect.

We collected natural materials, observed them carefully, drew them and recorded our observations.