Mental health education LESSON RESOURCES
Lesson Resources
Please note that these resources are created and owned by third parties and may have been updated or altered since the resource was last reviewed. It is important that teachers use their professional judgement when assessing any resource for its applicability to the curriculum, their classroom and educational context, and the needs of their students. myPITA receives no financial benefit from use of these external resources.
The Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) K – 7 and 8 – 12
Evidence-informed online course and a collection of 13 lessons that introduce strategies for effectively managing everyday (mild to moderate) anxiety. The lessons align with B.C. curriculum and are designed to fit into existing routines and practices in K–7 classrooms.
Action Anxiety Day Lesson Resources
Evidence-based lesson plans and worksheets for Grades K-3 and 4-7 to teach about fight, flight, and freeze; coping strategies, and gratitude/mindfulness. More lesson and classroom resources from Anxiety Canada.
Stop Wondering, Start Knowing: A Mental Health Video Resource for Schools
This resource includes a facilitation guide, video stories from youth with lived experience with mental health challenges, and links to additional resources and supports.
Mental Health Literacy for Educators
Prepare to deliver this freely available, evidence-based, classroom-ready curriculum resource to students 12 to 19 years of age to address mental health-related outcomes.
BC Children's Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
Easy to understand resources on a variety of mental health topics including ADHD, anxiety, social and emotional development. Videos, podcast recordings, and print resources.
Caretoons
Caretoons normalize anxiety in an entertaining way. Each ## episode provides sample questions and resources to use in your classroom.
The CARD™ Toolkit (Comfort, Ask, Relax, Distract)The CARD™ system (Comfort, Ask, Relax, Distract) is a science-based, proven framework that helps educators, parents, and healthcare professionals support youth struggling with anxiety and prepare children for stressful events, like school-based vaccinations, presentations, and examinations.
Balance Your Thoughts
An anxiety-relief game where players learn:
Calm Essentials
The free essential collection provides brief guided mindfulness sessions related to a variety of mental health needs. Use the website in your classroom for calming visuals and soundscapes and kid-focused mindfulness practices.
Evidence-informed online course and a collection of 13 lessons that introduce strategies for effectively managing everyday (mild to moderate) anxiety. The lessons align with B.C. curriculum and are designed to fit into existing routines and practices in K–7 classrooms.
Action Anxiety Day Lesson Resources
Evidence-based lesson plans and worksheets for Grades K-3 and 4-7 to teach about fight, flight, and freeze; coping strategies, and gratitude/mindfulness. More lesson and classroom resources from Anxiety Canada.
Stop Wondering, Start Knowing: A Mental Health Video Resource for Schools
This resource includes a facilitation guide, video stories from youth with lived experience with mental health challenges, and links to additional resources and supports.
Mental Health Literacy for Educators
Prepare to deliver this freely available, evidence-based, classroom-ready curriculum resource to students 12 to 19 years of age to address mental health-related outcomes.
BC Children's Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
Easy to understand resources on a variety of mental health topics including ADHD, anxiety, social and emotional development. Videos, podcast recordings, and print resources.
Caretoons
Caretoons normalize anxiety in an entertaining way. Each ## episode provides sample questions and resources to use in your classroom.
The CARD™ Toolkit (Comfort, Ask, Relax, Distract)The CARD™ system (Comfort, Ask, Relax, Distract) is a science-based, proven framework that helps educators, parents, and healthcare professionals support youth struggling with anxiety and prepare children for stressful events, like school-based vaccinations, presentations, and examinations.
Balance Your Thoughts
An anxiety-relief game where players learn:
- Definitions and examples of the different thinking traps.
- How to challenge their worries using prompting questions.
- How to transform worries into balanced thoughts.
Calm Essentials
The free essential collection provides brief guided mindfulness sessions related to a variety of mental health needs. Use the website in your classroom for calming visuals and soundscapes and kid-focused mindfulness practices.
Picture BOOKS
The following picture books can be used in any intermediate or middle years classroom to introduce, support and sustain, or as a final reflection. Everyone enjoys being read a picture book.
Ruby Finds a Worry
By Tom Percival
Meet Ruby-a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger…and a little bigger…until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and all she can think about. Can she ever feel happy again?
Lesson resource
More book recommendations relating to worry.
By Tom Percival
Meet Ruby-a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger…and a little bigger…until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and all she can think about. Can she ever feel happy again?
Lesson resource
More book recommendations relating to worry.
The Princess and the Fog: A Story for Children with Depression
By Anthony Lloyd Jones (Author, Illustrator), Melinda Edwards (Contributor), Linda Bayliss (Contributor)
This book uses vibrant illustrations, a sense of humour and metaphor to create a relatable, enjoyable story that describes the symptoms of childhood depression while also providing hope that things can get better with a little help and support.
Use this book in conversations about mood, therapy, behavioural activation , and/or medication.
By Anthony Lloyd Jones (Author, Illustrator), Melinda Edwards (Contributor), Linda Bayliss (Contributor)
This book uses vibrant illustrations, a sense of humour and metaphor to create a relatable, enjoyable story that describes the symptoms of childhood depression while also providing hope that things can get better with a little help and support.
Use this book in conversations about mood, therapy, behavioural activation , and/or medication.
The Red Tree
Shaun Tan
The Red Tree is a story presented as a series of distinct imaginary worlds, self-contained images which invite readers to draw their own meaning in the absence of any explanatory narrative.
A lesson plan that explores emotions, metaphors, and gambling.
A lesson plan that explores critical and creative thinking and feelings.
Shaun Tan
The Red Tree is a story presented as a series of distinct imaginary worlds, self-contained images which invite readers to draw their own meaning in the absence of any explanatory narrative.
A lesson plan that explores emotions, metaphors, and gambling.
A lesson plan that explores critical and creative thinking and feelings.
10 amazing reads to teach kids about mental health - CTV
Suggested children’s books that can support your child’s social and emotional skills - School Mental Health Ontario
Suggested children’s books that can support your child’s social and emotional skills - School Mental Health Ontario
Chapter books
Guts: Graphic Novel
Raina Telgemeier
Raina's stomach aches are a clue that she may have anxiety, as she worries about school, food, and friends.
Discussion guide
Raina Telgemeier
Raina's stomach aches are a clue that she may have anxiety, as she worries about school, food, and friends.
Discussion guide
Finding Perfect
Elly Swartz
The harder Molly tries to be perfect, the more things spin out of control.
Activity/discussion guide
Elly Swartz
The harder Molly tries to be perfect, the more things spin out of control.
Activity/discussion guide
Sidetracked
Diana Harmon Asher
Jospeh has an overactive mind and phobias of everything and he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. Then he joins the track team, makes a new friend, and sees new possibilities.
Discussion guide
Diana Harmon Asher
Jospeh has an overactive mind and phobias of everything and he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. Then he joins the track team, makes a new friend, and sees new possibilities.
Discussion guide
Podcasts
Teach Happier Podcast
Suzanne Dailey provides SEL support for teachers.
Suzanne Dailey provides SEL support for teachers.
