World Mental Health Day

Resource type: Event

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5

Region(s): All of UK

World Mental Health Day is observed every year on 10th October with the aim of raising awareness of mental health matters around the world and mobilising efforts in support of mental health.

The Mental Health UK website has a range of wellbeing tools and resources to help people of all ages look after their own wellbeing and open up conversations with others about their mental health.

There is also a useful A-Z library of mental health conditions.

Cost: Free with registration.

About World Federation for Mental Health: World Mental Health Day was first celebrated in 1992 as an initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organisation that is dedicated to raising public awareness about the importance of mental health, preventing mental and emotional disorders, and improving the care, treatment and recovery of people with mental disorders.

Further resources:

The National Literacy Trust runs an annual Take 10 to Read Challenge to highlight the link between reading for pleasure and positive mental wellbeing on or around World Mental Health Day.
Explore the library of wellbeing lesson plans for young people aged 11-18, developed using the latest evidence from brain science and pedagogy by teen mental health charity BrainWaves. Free to download with registration.
Explore the recommended titles from the Reading Well collections. All the books have been chosen by health professionals to help children and teenagers manage their emotions and cope with difficult situations.
Into Film offers free access to a range of films and resources to help schools explore the complex issues associated with mental wellbeing with their students. Available to state-funded schools in the UK with a free Into Film account.
Beano for Schools in partnership with Young Minds has created a series of lesson plans featuring favourite Beano characters to help children better understand their emotions and mental health. The lesson plans include a short animation, PowerPoint presentation and activity sheets. There are versions for KS1 and KS2 and everything is linked to the PSHE curriculum in England, Scotland and Wales.
Three Coram charities have combined to create a Mental Wellbeing Toolkit for primary schools based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework. The toolkit includes drama activities, lesson plans, recommended booklists and book chat questions. Free to download with registration.
Sign up for the free Mental Health Champions training course from Place2Be. The award-winning five week course is delivered online with regular start dates through the term.
Children who are the most engaged with literacy are three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than children who are the least engaged, according to a 2018 report from the National Literacy Trust. Read the full report here.
Find more resources to promote empathy and support pupils’ mental health in our Mental Health and Empathy section of the Literacy Hive website.