This week is the start of children’s mental health awareness and the theme for this year is ‘express yourself’. Now you may remember, that since you have been in year 6, we have focused a lot on mental health and how it is very important that we look after our own mental health and well-being.

So why is this year focusing on self-expression? Well, self-expression is about communicating your individuality. This can be through words, clothing and hairstyle, or through art forms such as writing, drawing, music and dance. Self-expression can help you to showcase your true self – your story, your thoughts, feelings and emotions. But this can also make us feel vulnerable, so you might want to take things one step at a time.

We often get told by our family, friends, school, communities and through social media how we ‘should’ look, think, speak, and act. These constant messages about what we ought to do, and who we ought to be, can make it difficult to let go of expectations and express our true selves!

What I would like you to do today is to have a go at expressing your true self and true feelings. Watch the video and draw how you actually feel: