Time: 20 - 30 minutes for each activity

These activities allow students to think back over their learning from the Five Ways to Well-being: 

  • Connect
  • Take Notice
  • Keep Learning
  • Be Active
  • Give. 

The Five Ways are based on research and practice. They should be embedded in everyday activities to develop habits for positive mental health.

Task 1: Create postcards

Look at the postcards of the Five Ways to Well-being, developed by the New Economics Foundation: 

Now develop your own set of postcards. Using pictures, text or any other expression, record what students have done for each Step, or what they would like to do with a partner school. Exchange the postcards with other classes, teachers, or a partner school. Then display the postcards for a visual reminder of focussing on well-being daily. 

If you are teaching remotely, ask students to develop virtual postcards. 

Look back at the Medicine Wheel and see if you are balancing the four areas: head, hands, heart and soul.

Task 2: Review a story

Choose a familiar story, such as a fairy tale or traditional tale. Ask students to use their understanding of well-being to track a character from this story.

Can the character see their ‘happily ever after’ all the way through the story? How does the character feel at different points? What can the character do to help themselves feel happier in different situations? 

Explain that there are ups and downs in everyone’s life. It is important to recognise these patterns in our lives and to work on helping ourselves to feel as good as possible, as often as possible.

Task 3: Create a well-being guide

Explain that sometimes we all need a little help when times get difficult.  This might be a small ‘pick-me-up’ or it might mean help from an adult we trust. 

This activity will help students to consider actions they can take to improve their well-being, through creating a well-being guide.  

Show children some of the Action for Happiness Monthly Action Calendars including the Calendar for Families.

Which of these ideas would you put on your well-being guide?

Ask pupils to choose four or five examples, perhaps using some of the work they’ve done so far to help them. For example, play a physical game with my friends; think of three things which make me feel grateful.

The children may like to keep a well-being diary to note how the activities make them feel and which ones they find easier than others. Share the ideas with friends and family.

Develop your own class well-being calendar and share the activities.

Differentiation for SEND

This activity is creative and flexible enough to allow your pupils to access it at their own pace. If your students can struggle with abstract concepts, show them some examples or help them reflect on their strongest memories in their well-being journey. Pupils could make a collaborative set of postcards using materials or tools they are most comfortable with accessing.

Partner School Linking Activities

Create a well-being calendar to share with your partner school, using images and ideas from all of the steps. Schools could create ‘Well-being Clock Stops’ – scheduled check-ins with their partner school, to share their favourite activity of the week. The following week, they could exchange ideas about what went well and how to make the session even better.
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