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 'How to motivate reluctant readers' for more reading tips and ideas.

Explore our range of readers and get inspired

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    Teaching ourÌýchildren coreÌývalues is so important in helping them to becomeÌýhappy,Ìýwell-balancedÌýcitizens who will make a positive contributionÌýtoÌýour future society.Ìý

    Values are present and visible everywhere and they areÌýtheÌýfoundation or starting point from where we make our decisions, which ultimately determine our futures. It is,Ìýtherefore,Ìýimportant that our children learn a strong, moral set of values that will help guide them as they grow older,Ìýinform their decisions,Ìýhelp them toÌýknow right from wrong, solve problems, assert themselves and build self-esteem and confidence.

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    As an example, let’s have a look at how shared valuesÌýareÌýexplored in theÌýnew graded readers series for young learners,ÌýDisney Kids Readers, where special emphasis has been put on exploring values within a story.ÌýAt the end, you will find severalÌývalue-based activitiesÌýthat you can download for use in the classroom orÌýasÌýan activity at home.Ìý

    HowÌýdo Disney Kids Readers teach core values?

    1. Learning through stories that are already familiar can help children to trust in and take on board the key messages much more easily. Familiarity can break down many barriers to communication and help us understand that values are often universal.Ìý
    2. Many children are also familiar with the Disney characters and can find inspiration from reading how they react to situations in life, make decisions and behave. Children often look up to characters and can see them as role models within their own lives. As a result, the readers can be a reference point on how to respond to key life moments and how to incorporate values into real life.
    3. Also, depending on the child's age, some values may be new and children may not yet have experience with them in the real world. Therefore, the Disney stories allow them to explore these key messages through their favorite Disney character’s point of view.Ìý

    Each Disney Kids Reader is linked to a key valueÌýand contains a ‘Values’ page with aÌýshortÌýcomicÌýstripÌýthat brings to life a specific value.Ìý

    The list below detailsÌýa selection ofÌýkey values taught across the readers.ÌýYou could askÌýthe childrenÌýin your classÌýto talk about which values are most important to them and why. Ask them to give an exampleÌýofÌýa time when they have demonstrated this value in their own lives.Ìý

    Friendship, positivity, curiosity, confidence, open-mindedness, courage, determination, self-belief, responsibility, resilience, respect, honesty.

    Examples of key values inÌýDisney stories

    InÌýThe Jungle Book,ÌýfriendshipÌýis a keyÌývalue,Ìýand we learn that it is important to help our friends. Baloo helps Mowgli when he is alone in the jungle and scared. An angry tiger wants Mowgli to leave the jungle, but when Mowgli meets Baloo, he finds a friend in him. Baloo sees that Mowgli is scared and looks after him.ÌýWe learn that it is important to help our friends when they are in need.Ìý

    Do:ÌýAsk the children when they have helped their friends.

    InÌýInside Out, we learn aboutÌýsincerityÌýandÌýhowÌýimportantÌýit is to talk about how we are feeling. Riley is a teenager struggling with a whole range of emotions and we learn that life isn’t about being happy all the time and that it is okay to be sad sometimes. The children learn that this is a normal part of life and that talking it through with a friend, a parent or a teacher can help.

    Do:ÌýAsk the children if they share their feelings with others.

    Here are some activities for you to use with your class to help put into practice the core values from the readers. You can use these activities with any book, in and outside the classroom.

    1. My Values Road Sign (L3-4)

    This activityÌýisÌýa great way of talkingÌýtoÌýchildrenÌýabout their values. By creating a road sign poster,Ìýit will help them to decide which values are most important to them and it is something that they canÌýreferÌýto again and again in challenging times. They can stick it on their bedroom wall, display it on the fridge or you could even make a classroom display of shared valuesÌýwhen children have finishedÌýtheirÌýbooks!

    Download the worksheet

    Ìý2. Kindness Calendar (L4-6)

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    Download the worksheet

    3. Core Values Quiz (L5-6)

    Try this quiz with your class and test their values. The questions focus on the following values: sincerity, honesty, positivity, resilience and friendship. If they answer mostly As, then they already demonstrate most of the values in their lives. If they answer mostly Bs, talk to them about why it is important to be honest, positive, strong and kind. The quiz will start a meaningful conversation about their own values and how they react to common situations in life.

    Download the worksheet

    4. My future self (L1-2)

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    Download the worksheet

    Read our blog posts 'Fostering self-care and wellbeing through the world of reading'Ìýand 'The importance of teaching values to young learners'.