Supporting Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing

Definition (National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy)

The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is Australia’s first plan to make sure children from birth to 12 get the right support for their mental health and wellbeing. It focuses on early help, strong family and community connections, and creating safe, supportive environments so every child can thrive. Mental health and wellbeing encompasses emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. For children, this includes developing emotional regulation skills, building resilience, forming positive relationships, and developing a sense of identity and belonging.

Supporting children's mental health involves creating environments where children feel safe, valued, and understood. Early childhood is a critical period for developing emotional intelligence, coping strategies, and positive mental health foundations that will serve children throughout their lives.

Play Based Experience 1

Emotion Recognition Puppet Show

Use puppets to act out different emotional scenarios and help children identify and name feelings. Children can participate by suggesting how the puppet might feel better or what they could do in similar situations. This builds emotional vocabulary and empathy while providing a safe way to explore difficult emotions.

Play Based Experience 2

Mindfulness Nature Walk

Take children on slow, mindful walks outdoors where they focus on their senses - what they can see, hear, smell, and feel. This activity promotes present-moment awareness, reduces anxiety, and helps children develop self-regulation skills while connecting with nature.

Beyond the ordinary

The When I’m Feeling book series by Trace Moroney is a wonderful way to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. Each book gently explores a different emotion, helping children recognise, name, and understand their feelings. Reading these stories together opens up conversations about emotions, builds empathy, and reassures children that all feelings are normal. This helps them develop confidence, resilience, and healthy ways to manage their emotions as they grow.

“Happiness can always be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.”

Dumbledore

Mental Health Commission

Australia’s first National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy lays the foundation for a future where all children—birth to age 12—have the support they need to flourish. Recognising that half of adult mental health challenges start before age 14, this strategy shifts our focus toward early intervention, ensuring that mental health support is available before serious issues arise. It envisions a consistent, child‑centered system that brings together families, communities, schools, and services to nurture children’s mental wellbeing from the very start

 

Guided by four pillars—Family & Community, Service System, Education Settings, and Evidence & Evaluation—the Strategy maps out actions for a strengthened national response to child mental health needs. It champions a wellbeing continuum approach, promoting support before a formal diagnosis is required and treating mental health as a dynamic spectrum of functioning rather than a fixed label.

References

Australian Government Department of Health. (2021). National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Commonwealth of Australia.

Roffey, S. (2017). The ASPIRE principles and pedagogy for the teaching of social and emotional learning. International Journal of Emotional Education, 9(2), 21-35.

Health, M. (2024, April 2). National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. National Mental Health Commission. https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/projects/childrens-strategy

Children Books Trace Moroney’s When I’m Feeling Series (Set of 10) - CPD Singapore Education Services Pte Ltd. (2024, November 8). Cpdsingapore.com. https://cpdsingapore.com/product/children-books-trace-moroneys-when-im-feeling-series-set-of-10/

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