Inside Out 4 Kids

This week is National Chaplaincy Week, an annual event hosted by Scripture Union Australia to raise awareness of the value of school chaplains and to help raise funds to support their work.
Like IO4K, they too provide emotional support to students, thereby helping to improve student wellbeing. In fact, so well do the two services go together that our Team Leader, Linda, is also a School Chaplain!

We celebrate the compassion, care, and connection that chaplains bring—making a lasting difference in the lives of students every day.

🌟 Meet the Team Monday 🌟

Meet Amy 💛

Amy wears many hats at IO4K! She supports our facilitators, volunteers, schools and community partners, coordinatung the behind the scenes, whilst also jumping in to facilitate programs with children when needed.

What’s your favourite thing about working at IO4K?
Seeing children grow in confidence as they learn to understand their emotions, and working alongside a team who genuinely care about making a difference.

Show us how you relax or have fun outside of IO4K using emojis:
☕📝💬🎭🏐⛪👨‍👩‍👧‍👧😂

Finish this sentence: When I’m worried, I usually…
Panic first… then remind myself to slow down, talk it through with someone I trust, and focus on what I can control.

If you could create a National Day, what would it be?
National Ask Someone Their Story Day – a day to slow down, be curious, listen well, and learn something new about the people around us.

What’s your favourite picture book?
📚 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

Amy loves bringing people together, creating opportunities for children and families to grow, and believes everyone has a story worth hearing 💛

Why Inside Out 4 Kids?

· Kids learn to name their feelings
· Building resilience early
· Feeling safe to talk
· Learning and behaviour improve
· Relationships grow stronger
· Support comes before crisis
· Kids grow confident from the inside out

Contact us if you would like to know more!

This week in Bringing Up Great Kids at George Town Child and Family Learning Centre, we explored the Chinese symbol for listening. A symbol that includes the ears, eyes, heart, and our full attention. Such a beautiful reminder that listening to our kids is more than hearing words. It’s noticing their feelings, their body language and their energy.
Modern parenting is busy, but connection grows when we slow down and truly see them.

🌟 Meet the Team Monday 🌟

Meet Mikkayla 💛

Mikkayla is one of our IO4K Program Facilitators in the North West, supporting children to build emotional literacy and wellbeing through engaging programs in schools 🌱

What is your favourite thing about your job?
The amazing people that I work with – it is incredible to have a workplace of colleagues who share my values, are driven to make meaningful change, and aren’t afraid to get silly!

Show us how you relax/have fun outside of IO4K using Emoji’s:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧🐕🌊🎮🌮

Finish this sentence: When I’m worried, I usually…
Take a breath and think things through.

If you could create a National Day, what would it be?
🍕 National Pizza Party Day (already exists – 15th May!!)

Name your favourite picture book:
📚 McElligot’s Pool by Dr Seuss

Mikkayla brings warmth, fun and a passion for meaningful change to the IO4K team and we’re so glad to have her on board 💛

This week in Bringing Up Great Kids, we explored the difference between values and goals. Both matter, but values guide the big‑picture decisions we make as parents and caregivers.

We created a rainbow and placed our values on sticky notes across it, helping us see how our experiences shape what we believe and reminding us that we can choose which values to keep, strengthen, or gently change.

🌟 Meet the Team Monday 🌟

Meet Belinda 💛

Belinda facilitates programs in schools, helping children understand their brain, emotions, and ways to manage big feelings 🌱

What is your favourite thing about your job?
I love my job at Inside Out 4 Kids because I get to work with an incredible team while making a real difference in the lives of children and families. Nothing beats seeing our programs create positive change. I’m passionate about talking with kids about brains and emotions, helping them understand that all feelings are okay, and empowering them to advocate for their own emotional wellbeing.

Show us how you relax/have fun outside of IO4K using Emoji’s:
🐶🌄👨‍👩‍👧⛺️🚴‍♀️🌊🐰📚🎶🗺️

Finish this sentence: When I’m worried, I usually…
When I’m worried, I usually use strategies like taking slow breaths, moving my body, getting outside in nature, listening to music, practising mindfulness, or being near someone I trust.

If you could create a National Day, what would it be?
National Digital Technology-Free Day: a day where everyone switches off their devices, steps away from screens, and enjoys being fully present with the world and people around them.

Name your favourite picture book:
📚 Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney (one of many favourites!)

Belinda is passionate about helping children understand that all feelings are okay, and giving them tools to support their emotional wellbeing 💛

Families Week is back from 11-17 May 2026. 🎉
As Australia’s biggest celebration of families, it’s a chance to recognise the vital role families play in our lives and our community.
The theme, Every Family, Everywhere, is about celebrating families – in all their forms, cultures, structures and experiences – and embracing activities that bring us together.
Throughout the week, there are events and activities happening across the country.
Find out more or see what’s happening near you: https://www.nationalfamiliesweek.org.au/

🌟 Bringing Up Great Kids – Session 1 at the George Town Child and Family Learning Centre 🌟
We kicked off our first session of the Bringing Up Great Kids program today, and what an incredible start. We explored how the brain is our message centre, where experiences turn into memories and shape how we respond to the world.
To make this idea real (and fun!), we passed around our very own “brains” (stockings filled with rice) and everyone had a go at guessing the age and weight each brain represented. In the photo you’ll see three brains labelled A, B, and C.
Here are their weights: 🧠 A – 400g 🧠 B – 1100g 🧠 C – 1300g
Now it’s your turn… 👇 Which age do you think each brain represents? Drop your guesses in the comments — no Googling, just your best instinct.
We’d also like to give a huge thank you to Communities for Children Kanamaluka for funding this valuable program and helping us bring it to the community. Your support makes sessions like this possible.