Learning Activities & Tools to Support Student Mental Health 

This is a resource for educators to guide a discussion about mental health. It includes some "do's and don'ts" as well as definitions, statistics and prompts for discussions. On page 6 and 7 of the resource you will find more resources and links to continue our learning.  

This is a free French guided meditation video available through Youtube for elementary students. You can share with students to do independently or project the video it in class / share your screen to follow along as a class virtually. Meditation and short brain breaks can offer many benefits to students such as reducing distress and promoting well-being by changing participants’ perspective toward difficult experiences. 

Is anxiety getting in the way of your life? The MindShift™ CBT free app uses scientifically proven strategies based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety.

Get the tools to tackle:

• Worry

• Panic

• Perfectionism

• Social Anxiety

• Phobias

On this site you will find a series of French posters about various topics such as gratitude, deep breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, understanding anxiety and more! Having visual reminders to take deep breaths and cool-down strategies can be helpful to have visible in the classroom.These supports should be up on the wall or accessible all year long on the virtual class page to normalize talking about and seeking mental health resources.

Peekapak is a website and app that offers complete teaching units for 10 social and emotional learning (SEL) topics as well as the MyPeekaville interactive game. Kids explore the different topics as they accompany Leo the hedgehog and a mixture of human and animal characters throughout the school year in Peekaville. Each topic unit -- such as empathy, perseverance, teamwork, or self-regulation -- consists of an introductory storybook, eight or 12 activities to do in the classroom, and additional activities to send home for kids to do with their parents. *French version coming soon!

Ophea and School Mental Health Ontario have partnered to produce a series of virtual field trips embedded in three-part lesson plans.

​

Each lesson includes:

• A minds-on activity

• A pre-recorded virtual field trip session

• A consolidation activity

This resource teaches students about  Indigenous medicine wheel;  medicine wheels represent the alignment and continuous interaction of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realities. The circle shape represents the interconnectivity of all aspects of one’s being, including the connection with the natural world. Medicine wheels are frequently believed to be the circle of awareness of the individual self; the circle of knowledge that provides the power we each have over our own lives. In the activity on page 2, students are prompted to reflect on their own physically, mental, spiritual and emotional balance in their life. It is recommended to reach out to your local Indigenous community centre/ services to get an Elder to lead this activity.