Fostering self-care and wellbeing through the world of reading

Nicola Schofield
A teacher sat outdoors with young students looking at a book togethr
Reading time: 6 minutes

Growing up is an exciting time. Children are curious and open-minded, and every day welcomes a new thing to learn. They are constantly exploring and discovering themselves and the world around them. But children also have to face many challenging times too as they get older. It is, therefore, important that we teach our young people to be aware of their own wellbeing and self-care, what they can do to lead a balanced and healthy life, and give them the tools they need to help them in difficult times, both mentally and physically. Ìý

Boosting children's wellbeing with reading
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What are theÌýkey factors to a child’s wellbeing?

Have a look at Ìýbelow. ItÌýdescribesÌýpeople’sÌýbasic needs for good mental and physical wellbeing.

Self-actualizationÌý– Children need to be aware of their own feelingsÌýand understand how to process them.

Esteem –ÌýChildren need to growÌýinÌýconfidence, feel valued and receive praise for their achievements. Having hobbies and interestsÌýtoo is key.

Love/belonging –ÌýChildren need to develop meaningful relationships or feel part of a community. This could be friendships, family, a class,ÌýaÌýclubÌýorÌýschool.

SafetyÌý– Children must feel safe in their surroundings.

PhysiologicalÌý–ÌýChildren must have a home and access to food, water, sleep and exercise.

However, do childrenÌýknow how to look after their wellbeing?Ìý

Ask them to make a list and share your ideas together as a class or as a family.ÌýWhat do they do to look after their mental and physical health?ÌýAre there any things thatÌýtheyÌýdo lots of or don’t do enough of? What can they start doing or try to do more of?

Alternatively, you could also ask themÌýtoÌýput the followingÌýitemsÌýin order of importance. Ask them,Ìý‘What makes you happy?’,Ìý‘What is important to you?’Ìý

  • Food
  • Water
  • House
  • School
  • Friends
  • Family
  • Exercise
  • Sleep
  • HobbiesÌý

HowÌýcanÌýDisney Kids Readers help children’s wellbeing?

Let’sÌýrefer backÌýto the hierarchy of needs and see how they can link into reading.

Self-actualizationÌý–ÌýDisney Kids ReadersÌýcan help increaseÌýempathy and self-awarenessÌýthrough reading about other characters’ emotions and putting ourselves in their shoes. It can help us to understand and process our own emotions too. For example, in Inside Out, we see Riley struggle with her emotions when her family moves to San Francisco. Through the characters of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust, we can see how normal it is to feel a range of emotions and not feel happy all the time.

Esteem –ÌýDisney Kids ReadersÌýalso help children to develop confidence and self-esteem as they progress through theÌýlevels. By completing the wide range of activities at the end of the books, children can see that they are learning and improving their English skills as well as havingÌýfun reading a book.Ìý

Readers can also help us navigate difficult moments in life and teach us resilience and strength in challenging times. When we read the stories, we see how the characters overcome obstacles and deal with their problems. This can teach children key lessons and help them tackle their own problems in the real world.

For example, many of the charactersÌýgo through difficult times to which children can relate. InÌýThe Jungle Book, Mowgli is scared but then his friend Baloo comes to help him.ÌýIn Frozen II, Elsa goes on a difficult journey to restore justice for the people of Arendelle andÌýThe Enchanted Forest.Ìý

Love/belonging –ÌýReading Disney Kids Readers as a class, in pairs, or as a family can really strengthen relationships and a sense of belonging, which is such an important part of children’s development.ÌýSharing a book is something specialÌýthatÌýcanÌýallow people toÌýdevelop common interests andÌýthereforeÌýmake children feel that they are part of a wider community.

SafetyÌý– ChildrenÌýcan feel safe and more secure when a parent or a caregiver reads to them before bed.ÌýDisney Kids ReadersÌýare perfect bedtime stories and help children to fall asleep listening to theirÌýfavoriteÌýDisney characters on exciting adventures.ÌýAlso, in times of stress,Ìýreading can help reduceÌýanxiety,Ìýallowing children toÌýenjoy the presentÌýmomentÌýand escape the real world for a little while.

PhysiologicalÌý– Reading exercises your brain. In addition to physical exercise, reading isÌýanÌýexcellent mental workout which is so important to children’s health. Ask the children toÌýmemorizeÌýsome pages from the reader and recite it without looking or ask them toÌýmemorizeÌýthe phonics rhyme on the phonics page. You could also ask them to memorize the key words from the glossary list and see how many they remember.

Explore our range of readers and get inspired

Activity ideas

Now try out some of the activities below which can be linked to the Readers which will help your children/young learners focus on their wellbeing.

1. Paint a scene

This activity is calm, relaxing and mindful for the children to complete. The world is a busy place, and this activity links in with the idea of self-actualization and esteem. Painting or drawing keeps our mind focused on one task, and reduces stress and anxiety. It can help us process difficult emotions and can cheer us up when we are feeling down.ÌýÌý

Encourage your young learners to paint or draw a peaceful scene that they can imagine themselves in. It could be a beach, a forest, or even outer space. This activity allows children to express their creativity and imagination while also promoting relaxation and mindfulness.

Need:ÌýSelf-actualization, Esteem

2. Reading emotion diary

Self-awarenessÌýis such a useful toolÌýfor our wellbeingÌý– through this activity, the children take a moment each dayÌýto read a few pages of a book and thenÌýlook insideÌýthemselvesÌýtoÌýthink about how they are feelingÌýbefore and afterÌýreading. This is powerful, as over time the children will understand that reading is a good way to calm the mindÌýand manage emotionsÌý–Ìýsomething that can help them improve their own wellbeing and feel safe.Ìý

Encourage your learner to write down their feelings in a diary after reading and reflect on how the reading has affected their emotions. This activity promotes self-awareness and emotional intelligence, which are crucial for maintaining good mental health.

Need: Self-actualization,ÌýSafety

3. Reading emotions

Emotional intelligence is suchÌýanÌýimportant part of life. Understanding how someone is feeling through body language, such as facial expressions, gestures and body movements, can be useful when someone is sad, angry or upset. It can help us decide what they need and can help them feel listened to, loved and valued. In this activity, the children practice this by analyzingÌýthe characters’ emotions.ÌýIt will help children build confidence when dealing with difficult or sensitive topics with family and friends.Ìý

Choose a Reader with a diverse range of characters and ask your learner to identify and describe the emotions shown by each character. This activity promotes empathy, communication skills and social-emotional learning.

Need: Love/belonging, EsteemÌý

4. Guess the scene meditation

This activity is a great exercise for the brain. It helps children toÌývisualizeÌýand picture different surroundings in their minds and imagine different smells, sounds and textures, and bring them to life. As the children’s minds are focused on one thing, they begin to relax and feel calm. This activity can be a great tool to use before bedtime to help children fall asleep peacefully.

Guide your learners through a guided meditation where they imagine themselves in different peaceful scenes. You can also ask them to create their own scene and describe it in detail. This activity promotes relaxation, mindfulness and creativity.

Need: Self-actualization, Safety

5. Develop resilience

In every story there is a lesson to be learned, and through this activity childrenÌýlearn how to deal with difficult situations through the characters.ÌýIt teaches children thatÌýalthoughÌýthere are hard times in life, if we are patient, work togetherÌýandÌýshow resilience, then weÌýcanÌýwork through our problems.ÌýÌý

Choose a Reader with characters facing challenges and discuss with your learners how the characters handle the situation. Encourage them to think of ways they can apply this to their own lives when facing difficulties.

Need:ÌýBelonging, EsteemÌý

6. Create an exercise routine

This activity is creative and fun and will get the children moving and laughing at the same time. Physical exercise is so important to our wellbeing,Ìýso what is better than doing a workout with yourÌýfavoriteÌýDisney character?ÌýThe children can do these workouts in small groups, with family or as a class.ÌýThis activity promotes physical health and social bonding.

Choose a few Disney characters and create simple exercises for each one. You can also use props or make it into a game by having the children take turns being different characters.

Need: Physiological

Read our blog post 'ChoosingÌýthe right gradedÌýreadersÌýfor young learners' and 'How to motivate reluctant readers' for more reading tips and ideas.

Explore our range of readers and get inspired

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    Exploring the four Cs: Using future skills to unlock young learners’ potential

    By Annie Altamirano
    Reading time: 5 minutes

    What do we mean by future skills?Ìý

    The skills students will need in their future studies and careers are dramatically different from those required previously. Times are changing rapidly and educational institutions and teachers have a critical role to play in developing those skills in our young learners so that they are able to fulfill their potential and have bright futures ahead of them.Ìý

    These skills are referred to as future skills. There is no common consensus on how to define these skills but, broadly speaking, they can be grouped into four categories:Ìý

    1. Ways of thinking

    Skills in this category include critical thinking, creativity, innovation, problem solving, metacognition and learning skills.

    2. Ways of working

    Here, we’re talking about the skills of communication and collaboration.

    3. Tools for working

    Information literacy is an important 21st-century skill, as well as ICT literacy and citizenship, both global and local.Ìý

    4. Life skills

    The final category covers life and career skills, and is all about personal and social responsibility.Ìý

    One way you can encourage young learners to build these skills is through STEAM subjects (that’s science, technology, engineering, arts and math), which will equip them with functional skills such as organizing, planning, cognitive flexibility and self-regulation.Ìý

    The four CsÌý

    The four Cs refer to four important skills for young learners to master: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. These are essential, not just in an educational context, but in everyday life.Ìý

    Falling into the first two categories of future skills (ways of thinking and ways of working), these can help children build confidence and self-esteem. They also encourage healthy emotional development.ÌýÌý

    So let’s take a closer look at the theory behind them.

    1. Communication

    We usually think of communication as speaking and listening, but it’s actually much broader than that. Communication encapsulates telling stories, reading, sharing ideas and experiences, body language, facial expression, eye contact and tone. Children learn to decipher the world around them by learning and practicing these skills.

    Strong communication skills, developed early, are directly related to their literacy success. These skills allow children to articulate their thoughts and ideas effectively, and listen to decode meaning. Students then begin to use communication for a range of purposes, and communicate effectively in diverse environments. Furthermore, developing strong patterns of verbal and non-verbal communication also fosters self-esteem and social skills.Ìý

    2. Collaboration

    Collaboration is how young children begin to build friendships with others. At first, young children will watch what others do and say, before moving on to playing together. As they get older, they become aware of other children’s feelings and ideas. Friendships become motivating and they learn how to make compromises and respect each other’s perspectives and skills.Ìý

    Collaboration is enhanced through group work and project-based activities, sharing time with peers. Children thrive when they feel valued by the people around them, not just adults but their peers too.Ìý