Supporting wellbeing through literacy teaching

We know that in schools and nurseries you will have prioritised wellbeing as lockdown and Covid-19 have disrupted children's attendance at school. You will continue to be conscious that the pandemic is presenting challenges unique to each child, impacting their personal and emotional development as well as their learning. With some children in school but many others learning remotely aspects of everyday life are subject to ongoing change that feel unfamiliar and unsettling for everyone.

Our research on children's literacy activity during the first lockdown has showed that both reading and writing supported children's mental wellbeing. Among our key findings:

• Children said that reading (59%), writing (41.3%) and listening to audiobooks (31.8%) during lockdown made them feel better
• Children said that reading (32%) and writing (24.8%) during lockdown helped them when they felt sad because they couldn’t see their family and friends.

Taking in to account the five levers of the recovery curriculum, we’ve gathered resources and information to help you address the ongoing challenges that impact attendance and participation.

The activities are designed to allow children and young people to reflect on their experiences, and bond with classmates and teachers. They also provide opportunities to revisit and build on literacy skills, to strengthen learning. We hope they will support you to connect with pupils and your wider community, re-establishing both skills and enjoyment across reading, writing, speaking and listening.

We work closely with partner organisations to help teachers and practitioners access sources of help for their own wellbeing, and to support the children they work with.

• Our partner Twinkl has teamed up with mental health and wellbeing charity, Mind, to provide guidance and support for anyone working with children and young people. Download the resources here.
• Place2Be provides has a collection of mental health resources and also an online children’s mental health training course offered free to qualified teachers and school-based staff in the UK.