One hour programs for years 3-6. $15 +GST per student
Year 3- 1hr
Developing a child’s identity fosters confidence and self-esteem. The more children know about themselves, the more confident they will be. Our identity journey takes many years and in the year 3 program we start to explore who we are as people and how to take pride in being unique. Our session also introduces students to the importance of valuing our bodies for what they can do.
Year 4- 1hr
By year 4, students are more able to identify their personality characteristics and we build on from the obvious into a deeper understanding of who we are and how important it is to remain connected to all our traits, not just those we excel in or are reinforced for. We also continue appreciating what our bodies can do as opposed to how they look because a child who values what their body can do will have higher self and body esteem.
Year 5- 1hr
In year 5, students are introduced to compassion both toward self and others as an additional aspect of their identity to work on. Research has shown that compassionate children reap many psychological benefits including higher self and body esteem. Our session also introduces students to the importance of media literacy and exposes many of the tricks traditional and social media use, to shape what we see and how we feel when interacting with media.
Year 6- 1 hr
In year 6, we explore the role of role models (parents, peers, and celebrities) and focus on understanding how to choose role models that inspire and guide us. Our session also helps prepare students for the physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty and what they can do to stay safe, healthy and happy during this time.
Half-day program for years 5 & 6. $30 + GST per student
Our half-day program covers a number of core topics:
- Compassion
- Role models
- Bullying and friendships
- Media literacy
Research and clinical practice has continued to demonstrate the critical role of self-compassion and compassion towards others in building individual health and happiness. During the half-day program, students will learn how to integrate acts of compassion in their daily life as well as focus on the benefits associated with behaving compassionately toward self and others.
Research has highlighted the benefits associated with children having strong and positive role models in their life. Unfortunately many children today focus their time and attention on media personalities whose fame is based on luck, limited talent or physical prowess. During the half-day program students will consider their role models and be encouraged to think about other people who deserve their praise through examples and group discussions.
Appearance-based teasing/bullying is the most common form of taunting in primary school affecting children. During the session, students will be reminded about what they can do if they, or their friends, are being teased/bullied and how to surround themselves with friends who have values and personality qualities that allow them to be their ‘authentic self’.
Media literacy encourages children to question what they see, hear and read. Teaching children how to question the images they see in the media is critically important for their self- and body-esteem. During this session, students will analyse various forms of media so that they are better equipped to cope with the images they are exposed to daily in traditional and social media.
Full day program for students in years 5 & 6 and their parents. $90 + GST per family
“There is nothing I can do that carries even a fraction of meaning compared with what parents do at home and communities do to support children and youth” (Dr Ginsberg, paediatrician specializing in Adolescent Medicine at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine).
The aim of this full day program serves both parents and students. Parents are given a comprehensive body image training that enables them to develop additional skills and tips to help guide their children through their body image journey.
Below are the topics we cover during the day:
- How to help your child recognise and value their importance in the world outside of their appearance
- Help your child develop a well-rounded identity
- How to be the best role model possible around body image
- How to guide your children toward healthy, useful role models in the peer and celebrity environment
- Body image changes during puberty
- Risks and consequences associated with childhood/adolescent dieting
- How to challenge unrealistic body stereotypes in mainstream media (TV, movies, magazines and on billboards)
- Understand appearance-related challenges associated with music videos (YouTube) and computer games
- Tips and tools for helping children think about and manage appearance related pressures associated with social media e.g., Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, music.ly
- Why children eat for emotional reasons
- How to protect children from managing their feelings with food
- How to guide children away from emotional eating
- What intuitive eating means, and how to reacquaint your children with intuitive eating
Students will receive all the lessons from the half-day program (see above).
Parents and students will work both separately and together throughout the day. Joint sessions provide parents and students the time and space needed to have important conversations about body image as well as provide children with confidence that their parents know how to guide them through this often terrifying journey of change.
Feedback from the full day program is consistently positive:
“I loved working with my son today and finding out how he feels and who he is”
“I had a great day working with the kids and learning so many interesting and necessary things about social media”
“This workshop should be compulsory for all students and their parents!”
“We all felt the mix of sessions with and without our children today was perfect and are so pleased we had the opportunity to be here”
“Great subject material, relevant and informative, so wonderful that you included the kids”
“My daughter and I have a very open relationship and this workshop has strengthened what I feel I can and need to talk to her about”