Sample Week 1 – Y4:M4:W1

Session content

• N.B. This session encourages children to practise their communication, problem-solving, and responsibility skills while building trust with others in a calm, cooperative way.
• Developing independence boosts a child’s mental health by building their confidence, self-esteem, and sense of competence, which fosters resilience and a greater sense of control and autonomy over their life.

• Discussion:
• Independence:
• Say that families should provide love, care, protection and safety for children as they grow up but that becoming more independent is what they need to do as they grow towards being a teenager and then an adult. However, stress that they should never have to cope with tricky and difficult things on their own and the importance of speaking to a trusted adult (at home or school) if they need to.
• Discuss with the children what ‘independence’ means.
• Together come up with a child-friendly definition, e.g. freedom from the control or influence of other people, taking responsibility for your own life, health and making your own decisions.
• Explain that often you get better and better at being independent the older you get.
• Say: Taking responsibility for your own wellbeing is a way to show you are becoming more independent. Often when people do things that make them feel better we can call this self-soothing. In this video, you will see Suzanne showing you what a self-soothe box is. After the video, chat to someone about what you would have in your self-soothe box!

• Say that as they get older they will get more and more chance to do things on their own, without relying on others and that then they will be able to ask for what they need…everyone has the right to have things they need in life, like for you, it is a human right for children to be able to play.
• Human Rights:
• Ask: What are ‘human rights’?
• Explain that there are human rights that are there to protect everyone and to try to allow everyone to have what they deserve in life.
• Ask if they know of any human rights for children?
• Say that UNICEF UK shares the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which is an important, legally binding agreement signed by 196 countries (as of 12 July 2022) and these are: the right to:
• Relax and play;
• Have freedom of expression;
• Be safe from violence,
• An education,
• Protection of identity,
• Have a sufficient standard of living,
• Know their rights,
• Health and health services.

• Rights and Responsibilites:
• Write the words ‘rights’ and ‘responsibilities’ (long word! :)) on the board and try to explain to them what the difference is between their ‘rights’ and their ‘responsibilities’.
• Explain that ‘rights’ are things they are entitled to, like having food to eat, a safe place to live, and going to school. These are things that help them grow and be happy.
• On the other hand, ‘responsibilities’ are things they need to do to help themselves and others, like brushing their teeth, doing their homework, and being kind to friends.
• Explain that it might feel exciting to gain independence and that’s what most families want for children.
• However, say that some families find it hard to give their child/children independence;
• Explore some reasons why, e.g. they might be worried about safety etc.
• Acknowledge that there are many times when they will need to seek adult help, e.g. when taking medicines and using household products carefully etc.
• However, say that it’s normal to feel upset when you are stopped from having independence, especially if you feel ready for it.