ELSA Support
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We are aware that this is a very difficult time for everyone - especially our emotionally vulnerable pupils.
Supporting your child at home
Here we can sign-post you to some of the different websites online which offer help and advice to parents.
Do you have an anxious child?
Follow the links below for some useful guidance on helping your child overcome anxieties:
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/stress-better/2016/03/49-phrases-to-calm-an-anxious-child/
Recommended self-help anxiety books: Click the pictures to purchase the text on Amazon.
What to Do When You Worry Too Much ( A kids guide to overcoming anxiety) by Dawn Huebner is an interactive self-help book designed to guide 6-12 year olds and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of generalised anxiety. Engaging, encouraging, and easy to follow, this book educates, motivates, and empowers children to work towards change. We have used this book at school and have found it a very useful tool.
Separation Anxiety
Is your child having issues with separating from you at drop-off for school or other activities?
Look at our 10 Tips to help an anxious child at the top of this section.
Self-esteem
Is your child having problems with self esteem? Try following this link which gives some useful advice to parents:
Anger management
Help with those 'hot feelings' - click these links for tips and information for parents/guardians about managing anger in children:
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/praise-discipline/anger-management-children
Recommended books for anger management: Click the pictures to purchase the text on Amazon.
An anger management story for children written by Lori Lite. Children relate to the angry octopus in this story as the sea child shows him how to take a deep breath, calm down, and manage his anger. Children love to unwind and relax with this fun exercise known as progressive muscular relaxation. This effective stress and anger management technique focuses awareness on various muscle groups and breath to create a complete resting of the mind and body. This is a great little story to help children understand that they are in control of their emotions. It focuses on the ownership of feelings and emotions and taking command of the situation. We use this book in ELSA sessions and is fun and very effective!
Please see below links to a variety of social stories and activities that may be useful in supporting the mental health and well being of your child during the period of school closures.
Please DO NOT share these links with others. You can signpost others to our website or the ELSA pages on Facebook and Twitter. This is because of copyright laws https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/ Thank you for your cooperation in this.
Social Stories
School is Closing: A short social story to explain why schools have closed in child friendly language and presentation.
Social Contact: A short social story to explain what 'social contact' is and to introduce words like 'self-isolation' and why this is important at this time.
My Home and My School: A set of questions and activities to help children understand why they need to be either at home or at school during this time.
We are at home right now: A short social story to help children understand why home learning is important right now and suggestions for what to do.
Emotional Literacy Activities
14 day challenge: 14 emotional literacy based challenges that will help to support children with their self-esteem and as part of home-learning activities.
Super Hero Poster / Certificate: A poster to help children feel better about what they are doing as part of home-learning. These posters might look nice printed and put in windows for others to see from outside and help to build a sense of responsibility in your child and others.
Calm Down Dice: A printable template of dice that provide strategies to children when they are feeling angry or anxious. these could be personalised with the child's personal calm down strategies or activities.
Feelings Diary: An emotions diary for children to use through a single week - charting their emotions and how they have managed them. Good for self-regulation and reducing anxiety.
Health and Well-Being checklist: A simple checklist to help children focus on positives.
Negative to Positive Thoughts: An emotions diary that provides strategies to help children avoid automatic negative thoughts. This is particularly useful for some children with Autistic Spectrum Condition.
Positive Paper Chains: A simple printable resource that combines mindfulness coloring with positive emotional vocabulary - making paper chains.
Sunshine Art: A simple printable resource that combines mindfulness coloring with positive emotional vocabulary - making hanging sun decorations.
April Well-Being Calendar: A calendar for April with well-being suggestion activities and ideas for each day of the month.
Design a Worry Monster: Template printable resource for creating a worry monster. Children can 'feed' their worries to their worry monster and let go.
'The Starfish' Social Story and activity: A social story about making a positive difference to others. An activity follows where children can storyboard their own examples of when they have made a difference to someone else.
14 Day Photo Challenge: An emotional literacy linked 'photo a day' challenge where children are asked to take photos of meaningful things within their lives (family, favourite book, nature etc). Photos could be uploaded to SeeSaw with the activity PDF, or to the @elsasupport twitter feed.
14 day challenge 2: 14 new emotional literacy based challenges that will help to support children with their self-esteem and as part of home-learning activities.
Time Capsule: A personal reflection resource to encourage positive thinking and capture information about life right now.
Parental Support
Violent and Challenging Behaviour (VCB) - support for parents. An article by SEND specialist Yvonne Newborn on how to manage emotional meltdowns in your child and identify triggers for negative behaviour.
CAMHS resources - a new resource from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services with lots of links, support and advice for parents in promoting positive mental health and well-being in children.
Newcastle Hospitals Main Switchboard (RVI, Freeman) 0191 2336161
Age UK 0800 1696565
Alcoholics Anonymous 0800 9177650
Alzheimers Society 0191 2983989
Carers Newcastle 0191 2755060
Citizens Advice Bureau 0300 3309055
Coping with Cancer 0191 2805610
District Nurse Base - Days Mon- Fri 0191 282 3664
District Nurse Base - Evening and weekends 0191 2755880
Macmillan Cancer Support 0191 2138611
Marie Curie Hospice 0191 2191000
Newcroft Clinic 0191 2292999
PALS - Patient Advice and Liaison Service 0800 0320202
Rape Crisis Centre 0800 0352794
Refugee Service Newcastle 0191 2457301
Relate 0191 2329109
Samaritans available 24 hours a day 166 123
St Nicholas Hospital 0191 2466800
St Oswalds Hospice (this link will open in a new window - popups must be allowed) 0191 2850063
This book uses CBT at its core to help younger children understand their angry feelings and make the necessary changes to regulate their emotions. The book was written by Luke Baker, a former ELSA. The book is about The Red family and their youngest member Rory. Rory Red is very angry all of the time. He wants to change but is told by both parents that ‘It is just who you are.’ Rory wants to change and one day meets a new friend Yasmine Yellow. Yasmine shows him the way and helps him to understand how he can change.
The book leads the child through the different stages of anger such as triggers: ‘someone being mean to him’, ‘when he can’t go out to play because it is raining’, ‘when he isn’t allowed his dessert’. It takes the child through the physical effects of anger such as breathing heavier, his heart beating harder and faster. It also looks at Rory’s thoughts such as: ‘hit them!’ ‘break something!’ ‘say bad words!’. Yasmine helps him by suggesting different calming techniques to help him cope with his anger.
Delightful, simple illustrations that children will love. The language is simple and easy to understand. This book would be perfect for EYFS and KS1, (possibly even Lower KS2).
*Note: It must be appreciated that change cannot necessarily be achieved rapidly and is dependent upon the context and complexity of the presenting issues. For children with complex or long-term needs it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all their difficulties, however support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child's need. Training and development of the school ELSA is an ongoing process and wisdom is required to recognise when issues are beyond the level of expertise that could reasonably be expected of an ELSA. We work closely with other agencies including CYPS (Children and Young Persons Services) and our Educational Psychologist Dr Carol Booth when we require additional advice or guidance on how best to support pupils in school.