Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing has never been more important. The new Ready Steady Write PLUS+ wellbeing units have been carefully designed to align with the PSHE curriculum, providing schools with high-quality writing opportunities whilst helping children understand their emotions.

Key Dates: These free wellbeing units are the perfect opportunity for schools to make a meaningful impact during these two key events:

Children's Mental Health Week 2025: 3-9 February 2025

Mental Health Awareness Month: May 2025

We are thrilled to offer all schools FREE access to our Ready Steady Write Wellbeing Units! Whether you’re new to Ready Steady Write or already part of our community, these units provide a fantastic opportunity to explore impactful resources that support both writing and emotional literacy. Schools already using Ready Steady Write will receive these units automatically within their membership, while new schools can easily sign up for the trial by completing this form. Don’t miss out on this chance to bring mental health and wellbeing awareness to the forefront of your curriculum!

We are delighted to introduce two of the writers behind these inspiring wellbeing units: Jane and Lizzie. As experienced class teachers, they bring a wealth of expertise to Ready Steady Write, ensuring every unit meets the exceptional standard that is making a difference to over 109,000 children worldwide. Their passion for literacy and wellbeing has been instrumental in creating units that not only empower young writers but also support emotional growth. Their dedication is reflected in the industry-leading awards Ready Steady Write continues to earn.

Purpose and Need: Why Wellbeing Matters

It has become increasingly important to encourage conversations about mental health within schools. PSHE has become an increased focus, with many schools appointing wellbeing leaders to drive initiatives that support pupils. Ofsted’s emphasis on wellbeing further highlights its importance, making it clear that these discussions should not be left to occasional lessons, but integrated into daily and weekly practices.

The Ready Steady Write wellbeing units are designed to do just that. Children get the chance to engage with high quality picture books which provide an opportunity to discuss these important topics through interesting characters and settings. This creates a safe space for group discussions, encouraging empathy and developing emotional literacy. The writing of these powerful books and units enable children to become critical thinkers, develop their oracy, build confidence, and ultimately deepen their emotional intelligence.

As with all Ready Steady Write units, these too embed vocabulary, develop Sentence Accuracy skills, and contextualise grammar activities. In short, they provide a focused writing experience that supports children’s emotional growth.

Text Selection: Choosing the Right Stories

Our team of writers read extensively and carefully considered our selection of picture books (Vehicle Texts). We chose stories that acknowledge the ongoing nature of emotional challenges, and showed how characters could navigate them.

For example, The Worry Tiger’s character manages the anxiety of the main protagonist by taking him to places to relax. ‘The Invisible’ explores themes of belonging and community. ‘A Shelter for Sadness’ enables children to embrace and understand emotions like sadness and anger.

Writing Outcomes and Opportunities: EYFS & KS1

In the Early Years, children retell the story through the Story Song. In Year 1, pupils write a feelings-based narrative. By Year 2, they tackle themes of belonging, such as exploring loneliness and finding worth, with final outcomes like ‘Cyril the Lonely Cloud’. These outcomes are informed by incidental writing activities and reflect the progression of skills taught throughout the unit.

Jump Inside the Book - Resources to Support Immersion

In all these units, spoken language is at the forefront.

In EYFS, classrooms can use yoga cards and sensory activities to reinforce learning through play. Some of these activities can be used as breathing exercises, encouraging children to practice big inhalations and exhalations while blowing bubbles. Playdough activities, emotion mats, and cross-curricular links further enrich learning. Also, every resource links to Development Matters.

For Year 1, cross-curricular guidance and grammar activities promote oracy. In Year 2 we feature drama-based scenario cards that encourage children to act out situations, freeze-frame scenes, and discuss emotions.

The Year 4 unit uses a thought-provoking narrative to guide pupils through understanding and processing emotions in a supportive classroom setting. These resources are designed to help teachers create immersive and meaningful learning environments, where children can deeply connect with the text while growing their emotional and literacy skills.

These texts and their accompanying resources offer both pupils and teachers a powerful way to build connections, empathy, and confidence within the classroom.

Final Thoughts

Through these units, schools will gain not only a love of stories and writing, but also open important conversations that can help children navigate their emotions effectively.

Ready Steady Write PLUS+ wellbeing units are designed to support schools during key events like Children’s Mental Health Week in February. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the impact of these with your children.

Request your free units today and bring wellbeing and literacy excellence to your whole school! Request your free units here: https://www.literacycounts.co.uk/contact

To learn more about our award-winning resource, Ready Steady Write, please click here.

Exciting Wellbeing Collaboration

We’re excited to collaborate with Picture News and Rock Kidz during Children’s Mental Health Week. Together, we’re bringing a unique combination of literacy, music, and thought-provoking resources to schools, supporting both pupils and teachers.

Sign up now to learn more about this inspiring partnership and access exclusive resources: Google Form.