The Mind Gig

Calling all Teachers!

Let us help you with planning for Children’s Mental Health Week….

Free lessons for KS1 and KS2, perfect for Children’s Mental Health Week 9th-15th

Written and taught by qualified teachers and trained mental health practitioners.

Grab these free lessons while you can and we are here to help with any questions should you need.

❤️❤️❤️

Free Trial Schools Programme The science backed Mind Gig Method contains the 5 areas of Connection, Thoughts Not Facts, Self-Awareness, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness – and how if children have each of these blocks working in their lives then their mental health is more likely to be strong. We teach children how to become str...

Well done!

Government efforts to focus on improving attendance rather than the factors causing children to miss school is a mistake and won't work, says virtual academy head Hugh Viney.

By the time a child reaches seven, their brain has already built many of the beliefs that shape how they see themselves. Psychology research shows that early experiences, tone of voice, and the emotional environment at home all guide how a child decides what they are capable of, what they deserve, and how safe the world feels. These beliefs grow from repeated moments. A gentle correction can build confidence. A harsh phrase can plant self doubt that follows them into adulthood.

During these early years, the brain is in a highly absorbent state known as rapid neural encoding. Children pick up meanings from everything around them. They watch how adults handle stress. They observe how mistakes are treated. They notice whether love is stable or unpredictable. Every moment teaches their brain a rule about life. These rules become mental shortcuts that shape self worth, motivation, and emotional resilience.

The good news is that positive input during this period makes a deep and lasting impact. Supportive words strengthen pathways linked with confidence. Encouragement improves problem solving and emotional regulation. Consistent affection builds a sense of safety that carries forward into relationships and decisions later in life.

If we want stronger adults, we start with mindful moments in childhood.

👌🏻

Many parents assume that when a child “doesn’t listen,” it is a sign of disrespect. The truth is far simpler and much kinder. A five-year-old’s brain is still under construction. Skills like impulse control, focus, and emotional regulation are just beginning to form.

When children forget instructions, get distracted, or drift off mid-sentence, it is not defiance. It is development. Their brain simply isn’t ready to process and respond perfectly like an adult brain. Understanding this is key to guiding them without unnecessary stress or frustration.

Yelling or punishing a child does not teach them to listen. It teaches fear, which interferes with learning and emotional growth. Calm, consistent guidance nurtures a child’s ability to focus, remember, and respond over time.

By approaching your child with patience and connection, you help them build the skills they need while fostering trust and safety. Every moment of understanding, patience, and guidance strengthens their brain and your bond. Growth takes time, and the way you respond today becomes the foundation for their development tomorrow.

Let’s be more like Finland! Less testing, less homework, respect for spending time with family rather than working 50 hours a week. Kids, just like adults, thrive when they are not anxious or stressed.

The government educational reform plans include new tests at year 8, and a focus on Maths, English and Science! Yep! Just what we need! 🙈🙈🙈🙈

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17KNRnCmdp/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Finland’s school system is one of the most successful in the world and it’s built on less stress, not more. 🇫🇮

Students don’t take national standardized tests. Instead, teachers assess them individually, creating calm classrooms where kids feel supported rather than pressured.

Even with shorter school days and minimal homework, Finnish students still rank among the top globally. Experts say the secret is a focus on critical thinking, creativity, and true understanding not memorization.

Teachers receive advanced training and have the freedom to design lessons that fit their students’ needs.

Finland proves a powerful lesson: when students feel safe, rested, and motivated… learning thrives.

A really great visual!

You won’t get it right the first time. You’re not supposed to.

But the only way to be great is to show up when you’re still terrible.

Progress comes from the courage to begin, not the perfection of the start.

These are the only types of posts I am seeing today.

The issue with this is that children only believe they can make something of themselves and be a success if they get their grades. Because it is only grades that are publically celebrated.

But as per my post yesterday, it is an impossibility that every child will get the grades. So, what happens to the 1/3 of children who don’t make the preset ‘grade’

They are at rock bottom before they even start their working life.

This is why I believe that self-esteem, resilience, and self-belief are such important qualities to have in this day and age, because there is so much out there wanting to batter us down, that we need to counter act this with the belief that ‘we can’

I would like to see more posts like….

Child who struggled throughout whole education, feels excited to enter the world and see what is out there for them…

Child receives 0 GCSE’s but knows this is because that way of teaching and assessing does not work for them, they are excited to start travelling the world….

Child who has been told to ‘sit still’ for 12 years, is motivated to set up business creating innovative ways of teaching through movement…

Academic achievement is only one way to achieve…. Unfortunately it’s the most celebrated, but we are here to continually shout out from the rooftops………

‘Tell yourself you can make it, and you will’

What is wrong with our education system today. We need to teach kids how to fail well, and build their self esteem, because the system is set up so that not everyone can achieve. 😣

I know, as I post this, that for at least a third of 16-year-olds today will not be a day of celebration.

That’s not because this year group are particularly predictable, or because I have secret information about the GCSE results.

It’s because GCSE results are highly predictable, even though there is always some fuss made each year about how girls are doing better than boys (or vice versa).

GCSE results are graded by comparing the marks with those from previous years, and making sure that the number of people who get each grade remains more or less the same. There’s some variation, but not a lot.

This means that around a third of each cohort are always going to fail their GCSEs. By fail, I mean that they won’t get the grades they need to go onto college without having to do retakes or do another course at the same level as GCSEs.

This is how GCSEs are designed. If everyone does exceptionally well one year, they’ll just shift the goal posts so that some of them still fail. It’s not possible for everyone to pass. If a school does exceptionally well and everyone passes, that just means that more people in some other school failed.

This is different to a test like the driving test. The driving test is an assessment of how good you are at driving, regardless of how good everyone else is.

I know this isn’t much consolation if you have a teenager who has just had disappointing exam results. It’s not a happy way to end your time at school.

But what it means is that they are not alone. Failure is built into the GCSE system. A third of young people have to fail each year.

They all have a future regardless. Let’s help them to feel hopeful about that.

Wonderful! And absolutely correct! 👏👏👏

Support your child to be a Healthy Mover In the UK, fewer than one in five children move enough to stay healthy.*A lack of movement in childhood can have lifelong implications on brain development a...

For every child taking the SATs exams this week….

Your strengths may not be what is being tested this week.

An elephant and a fish can do a strength test and the elephant would win. But in a swimming test the fish would smash it.

Your strengths may may be kindness, emotional intelligence, gymnastics, football.

So if your strength is not being tested this week, smile your way through it and know you have got this.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Absolutely!

connection must come before correction✨