Take care of wellbeing

vidually and collectively. We need to adapt and keep living life.

We need to protect our own and our children’s mental health while surrounded by the fear of the threat to physical health. Let me recommend the “Five Ways of Wellbeing”.

Connect: good relationships are so important so ensure your children are connecting with the right people. Make sure these people make them feel good and support their positive mental health. Encourage them to remove themselves from online spaces that do not do this.

Be active: get your children outside as much as possible. Fresh air can do wonders for our mental health or be creative indoors. Do it together and have a laugh.

Take notice: How are they are feeling and what are their needs? What makes them feel good? Do more of it. What is draining them? Do less. Invite, hear and acknowledge their emotions and choose how to work with them. Keep the conversations flowing with your children. Notice and appreciate the little things that make you smile

Keep Learning: encourage them to learn new skills and try new hobbies such as writing a blog, learning to paint, do a science experiment together. Start a book and read together as a family.

Give: encourage them to find ways to give — write cards to neighbours, call relatives, sort out old toys to donate when they can. This is what being a mensch with integrity looks like.

I encourage you to be kind to those around you and be kind to yourself. We are all in uncharted territory but we are stronger emotionally together than alone. Embrace the opportunities we are faced with and be determined to come out stronger.

Jessica Overlander-Kaye is JCoSS wellbeing practitioner

FOR more on wellbeing, you can watch a webinar on resilience from Dr Mark Berelowitz, child and adolescent psychologist at London’s Royal Free Hospital and clinical lead on the Community Wellbeing Project

SCHOOLS AND education agencies are not only the ones producing material for learning at home.

A trio of Jewish mothers from North London who are teachers have created their own online programme to help keep children occupied while schools are closed.

Lockdown Learning, which publishes daily sessions on Instagram, has built up nearly 2,400 followers in three weeks.

“We weren’t sure what the schools were planning on sending home,” said Sophie Fenton, who manages the primary PGCE teacher training course at the London School for Jewish Studies.

“So we decided we were going to do activities at home and we thought wouldn’t it be great to document what we were doing to support other parents.”

She and her partners, Daniella Churney, an early years teacher at Alonim Nursery in Whetstone, and Jemma Levy, who taught for several years at Chalgrove Primary in Finchley, have posted activities catering for different ages.

“Between us, our own kids cover the spectrum from toddler age up to 11.

“We wanted to do things that were fun and simple and could be done at home without having to buy resources or print out loads of worksheets.

“We wanted activities that would keep children engaged, excited and entertained but not a burden on parents.”

For instance, one activity was to ask their followers what Disney films their children preferred. “Then we followed