Category: Mental Health
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2023: Understanding Infant Mental Health
13 June 2023
In this short animation for Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2023, PEDAL’s Senior Policy Fellow Sally Hogg explains what we mean by ‘mental health’ in infancy and early childhood. You can also find more information and useful resources for supporting children’s mental health in the early years by clicking here.
Understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood: A PEDAL and UNICEF UK Toolkit
14 April 2023
There is widespread concern about babies’, children’s and young people’s mental health in the UK, particularly after the pandemic. Surveys of children, young people, parents, grandparents and teachers all reveal worries about mental health. Significant evidence shows us that the foundations for lifelong mental health are laid during pregnancy and the earliest years of life. Thankfully, this is more widely […]
Play, physical activity, and physical health
5 April 2023
How can active play help improve children's access to physical activity and their physical health?
Narrative Matters: ‘Encanto’ and intergenerational trauma
20 September 2022
Read a summary of Sydney Conroy's publication about how themes in Encanto might support children's mental health.
The Links Between Play and Children’s Mental Health
8 September 2022
In this presentation, Professor Helen Dodd from the University of Exeter explains how play has changed over time, and explores how adventurous play might be considered a protective factors when it comes to children’s mental health. This talk formed part of the PEDAL Play Conference 2022, an event which brought together play researchers interested in […]
Play as Resilience, Play as Mastery: Supporting Practitioners and Families Across the UK
8 September 2022
Play is a child’s normal. Play is both a powerful means of communication, and how we understand the world that we live in. Starlight Children’s Foundation is committed to protecting the right of all children to have opportunities to play, particularly children who are seriously ill and/or engaged with the UK healthcare system on a […]
Four playful ways to help with anxiety
6 July 2022
How can we use play to help our bodies recognise we are safe and reduce our anxiety level?
‘Just fun’ – or fundamental? Finding fun in early adolescent self-concept
6 July 2022
Is fun an integral part of young peoples' selves, or is it a frivolous extra?
K: Keeping up the good work: The long-term effects of early interventions
6 July 2022
What do we know about the long term effects of programmes supporting children's development?
V: Videos of family play moments support child development
5 July 2022
Are videos of play a helpful way for families to learn about and respond to their children's behaviour?