ANTS Automatic Negative Thoughts game. ANTs are the spontaneous, habitual, and often irrational thoughts that creep into our minds in response to various situations and triggers. These thoughts can significantly impact our emotional well-being and overall mental health. This game will help pupils to recognise those ANTs and will help them to reframe their thinking so they are more positive. Included in the ANTS automatic negative thoughts game: Game board (print A3) Change it cards – 8 of each type of ANT – 64 in total ANTs cards – 2 sets of 8 – one with their names and one without Positive affirmation cards – 16 cards Editable ‘Change it and Positive affirmation cards’) for you to add your own if needed. This is especially relevant for secondary pupils. This is editable in POWERPOINT so please ensure you have that installed if you want to edit the cards. ANTS covered in this pack: Emotional Edna – thinks with her feelings. eg. I FEEL hopeless, I FEEL like a failure. Fortune Teller Felicity – predicts the worst outcome e.g. I can’t win the race!, I will come last! Guilty Gertrude – Uses the word should and then feels guilty – eg. I should have done my homework, I should have done some exercise. All or nothing Audrey – uses words like always, never, every. Eg. I always lose, I never have anyone to play with. Blaming Barry – blames everyone else – eg. It’s your fault I slept in, It’s your fault I feel angry! Mind Reader Mavis – thinks he can read other people’s minds – eg. He must be laughing at me, I know she hates me! Labelling Lawrence – calls himself and others names – eg I am such a loser, She is such an idiot! Negative Nancy – ignores the positives and only sees the negative – I only came second in the race, I only got one sticker today.

Here’s our “Break the Ice Game” – a fantastic game designed to add warmth and engagement to the start of your sessions! Dive into a world of penguins and ice holes, where penguin cards holds captivating questions waiting to be explored. It’s a great winter game on the run up to Christmas and beyond. It would also be suitable at any time of year so you will get lots out of this game. Say goodbye to the chill of starting a session with a new pupil; our game adds warmth and enthusiasm, setting a positive tone from the beginning. Pupils explore questions that encourage sharing and understanding, fostering a sense of connection within the group. Included in the ‘Break the Ice Game’ pack: A3 game board 90 question cards 9 blank cards if you want to write your own A5 Certificate for completing the game

This is a ‘Building confidence pupil leaflet’. It is written in a child friendly way so pupils will understand. Included in the ‘Building confidence pupil leaflet’: What is confidence? – A description of what confidence is and how you can cross the bridge from self doubt to self confidence What is self doubt? – Description with examples and a chance for the pupil to write down what their little voice might be saying. Confidence knockers – What sort of things knock confidence and a chance for pupils to write down what knocks their confidence. Confidence boosters – Ways to build confidence. Setting yourself a goal – Steps to set a goal – success breeds confidence. There is an editable part for you to put your contact details or just your name. Simply type in the blue box. Don’t worry the blue box doesn’t show when you print. You can of course just print it and handwrite your details. There is also a BLACK AND WHITE version included in the pack. Important information This leaflet is meant to be used as part of ELSA Sessions or some other therapeutic session and shouldn’t just be given out to children without some input. Please DO NOT just give these out without that important input. They are purely reminders for the pupil to take away and for parents to get involved. It is your responsibility to decide whether the information in this leaflet will be helpful to your pupils. Under our terms and conditions these leaflets must not be put onto school websites. They are for printing and giving to pupils at the end of a session or you could use them as a basis for your session. Work through each part with the pupil.

These are lanyard tabbed cards for identifying emotions. The tabs on the side help find the emotion quickly. These are two sets of Tabbed emotion lanyard cards. One is for uncomfortable emotions and the other is for uncomfortable emotions. The comfortable emotions cover – happy, excited, calm, proud, brave and loved. The uncomfortable emotions cover – sad, scared, worried, angry, embarrassed and disgusted. Each set has a card with just the face and a card with the face and a simple scale.

Here you have a PowerPoint file of editable names. You can click on the name and change it. It will go to two lines if you want to add a surname too. The box is set to stay the same but your writing will be smaller or bigger depending on how many letters you put in. There are 15 hand drawn backgrounds included in this pack all great for mindful colouring. Some are more complex than others so choose one that you think the pupil will like. The font is embedded into the file. Once you have chosen from the 15 backgrounds, click on the name and change it. Click ‘Save as’ and save the PowerPoint first. Click ‘Save as’ again and choose PDF from the drop down list. You can then print that page from your PDF. You can duplicate one design if you want to by right clicking on the slide on the left hand side of your screen and choosing duplicate. This pack is great for an opening session or just to catch up with the child after the long holiday. They can take it away with them and finish it at home if they want to.

This is a worry worm booklet and poster. Lots of children have worry worms. They are usually crocheted or knitted. Often there is a little poem attached. They are to help pupils let go of their worries. The pupil can talk to their worm and tell it all about their worries. The idea being that the worry worm will hold onto it,so the pupil doesn’t have to. They can let it go. To decide on which worries should be told to the worm it is helpful to look at the Worry tree My idea for this resource was to have somewhere to put those worries. The worry worm booklet is useful for them to write those worries down. Once they have written or drawn their worry they can let it go. The types of worries that the pupil should be encouraged to write down are those worries not in their control. This might be a ‘What if?’ type worry. There are some handy reminders each using ‘worry’ as a mnemonic. Included in the pack: A3 Poster in colour Booklet in colour Booklet in black and white ‘I am worried about ‘page with lines for writing ‘I am worried about’ page blank for drawing

This is a shyness resource pack requested by one of you lovely ELSAs. It is aimed at KS2 upwards. This resource pack is to help children who want to be more confident and brave. They want to overcome their shyness because they are perhaps missing out on things in life. Being braver and less socially awkward may help them have more friends, face their fears and open up new opportunities. There are a whole range of emotions that can come from being shy such as nervousness, anxiety, fear, panic, and embarrassment. Children need to be able to deal with these emotions with coping strategies. Included in the pack: One of our TAB booklets in colour and black and white 3 worksheets in colour and black and white Learning objectives you could use for this pack: To understand what being shy means To identify body signs for feeling shy To understand that other emotions might be triggered by being shy To set a small achievable target for overcoming being shy To be able to scale a situation on the shyness scale To identify thoughts linked to shyness and reframe them To identify and use coping strategies for shyness To understand feelings after overcoming shyness

Here is a lovely calming game to play on the run up to Christmas. How to play our Christmas Calming Bingo game: Give each pupil a base board and some counters. Pick one of the calming cards and read through it with the pupils. The pupils can close their eyes so they can imagine the scene you are setting for them. Once they have all done this they place a counter on their base board over the appropriate exercise. Repeat until someone has a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally. The first person to get a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally is the winner of the game. They need to shout out ‘I am calm’ if they win. Included in the pack: 9 Calming activities 9 base boards with the images mixed up. You can play with up to 9 players.

Important information This leaflet is meant to be used as part of ELSA Sessions or some other therapeutic session and shouldn’t just be given out to children without some input. They need to learn and understand about their worries and how to cope with being anxious by an adult. Please DO NOT just give these out without that important input. They are purely reminders for the pupil to take away. It is your responsibility to decide whether the information in this leaflet will be helpful to your pupils. Under our terms and conditions these leaflets must not be put onto school websites. They are for printing and giving to pupils at the end of a session or you could use them as a basis for your sessions. You can work through each part with the pupil. You can practise some of the things on the leaflet such as 3 good things or gratitude.

Important information This leaflet is meant to be used as part of ELSA Sessions or some other therapeutic session and shouldn’t just be given out to children without some input. They need to learn and understand about their worries and how to cope with being anxious by an adult. Please DO NOT just give these out without that important input. They are purely reminders for the pupil to take away. It is your responsibility to decide whether the information in this leaflet will be helpful to your pupils. Under our terms and conditions these leaflets must not be put onto school websites. They are for printing and giving to pupils at the end of a session or you could use them as a basis for your sessions. You can work through each part with the pupil. You can practise some of the things on the leaflet such as 3 good things or gratitude.

These are our unwind the mind activity mats. These mats are a combination of working on the particular topic – e.g. be brave and mighty and relaxation activities through refocusing attention. There are puzzles, mindful colouring, drawing, creating patterns and a little writing. You can print them A4 but also if you want them bigger, use your printer settings and print them on A3 paper. These are suitable for KS2 and most of them for secondary too. These unwind the mind activity mats are perfect for Before or after SATs or tests Ending your session Beginning your session Morning routine whole class activity When things are winding down at the end of term Calming corners Homework Transition times Any stressful situations We have the following 10 mats along with answer sheets where needed Be joyful Be mindful Be calm Be positive Be brave and mighty Be kind Be caring to yourself Be determined Be friendly Be proud Benefits of unwind the mind mats Both puzzles and mindful colouring are calming activities that can help children relax and unwind after a busy day or during stressful times. Engaging in these activities encourages deep breathing and fosters a sense of peace and tranquillity. Solving puzzles and colouring mindfully can act as effective stress-relief techniques for children. By focusing their attention on the task at hand, children can temporarily shift their focus away from worries and anxieties, promoting a sense of calmness and emotional well-being. Puzzles and mindful colouring require children to concentrate and pay attention to details, which can help improve their concentration and focus over time. These activities encourage children to stay engaged in the present moment, enhancing their ability to sustain attention and ignore distractions. Puzzles can provide children with opportunities to exercise their problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities. By deciphering clues, finding patterns, and making logical deductions, children can develop important cognitive skills that are essential for academic success. Mindful colouring allows children to express themselves creatively and explore their imagination through colours and designs. It provides a non-verbal outlet for self-expression, allowing children to convey their emotions and feelings in a safe and therapeutic manner. Successfully completing puzzles and creating beautiful artwork through mindful colouring can boost children’s self-esteem and confidence. Accomplishing challenging tasks and seeing tangible results can instil a sense of pride and accomplishment in children, reinforcing their belief in their abilities. There are lots more benefits to these activity mats.

In this booklet, pupils will embark on a journey of self-discovery and connection as they learn about finding common ground, showing respect, practising inclusion, cultivating empathy, understanding the importance of friendships, recognising their own qualities that make them deserving of friends, and the power of apologising when mistakes are made. Our goal is to provide a safe and engaging space for pupils to explore these themes through activities, and discussions. By fostering a deeper understanding of friendship and the values that underpin it, we aim to empower children to build strong, supportive, and inclusive friendships that enrich their lives. There are 30 pages to the workbook. You can of course use the workbook as it is or if you just want to address certain areas then just print out those areas to work with.

This is great to have alongside your Worry Monster. There is space to write the worry and/or draw a picture. Children can project their anxieties onto the worry monster, externalising their worries and making them feel less overwhelming. Talking to or sharing worries with the worry monster can provide comfort and reassurance to children, helping them feel understood and supported. Worry monsters create a safe space for children to express their fears and concerns without judgment, fostering open communication and emotional expression. By feeding their worries to the monster or placing them inside, children regain a sense of control over their anxieties, empowering them to manage their emotions more effectively. Interacting with the worry monster becomes a coping strategy for children to deal with their worries in a constructive and tangible way, promoting emotional resilience and well-being.