6 online wellbeing resources for students

“The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown is an unprecedented situation in modern times,” stated the Mental Health Foundation earlier this month. “It is hard to gauge the full impact that the situation is having on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.”

Thankfully, there’s a growing number of free health and wellbeing resources popping up for schools to use, as well as some quality paid options. Here, we take a look at 6 of the best health and wellbeing resources that have received 5-star reviews on EdTech Impact’s Health and Wellbeing resource category.

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imoves – Creating happier children by getting them active every day

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.95/5 from 7 reviews

imoves’ mission is to create brighter, healthier and happier children by getting them active every day. The platform is designed to make it quick and easy for teachers to deliver PE, integrate active learning into everyday curriculum-based lessons, and support pupil mental wellbeing.

Sean Sly, deputy headteacher at Royd Nursery and Infant School, has been using imoves for 5 years:

“Prior to using imoves the profile of teaching and learning for dance was low. The school used a dated scheme that lacked structure and creativity. There was no guidance as to how to deliver dance lessons and this was often down to teacher interpretation… Since using imoves the quality of teaching and learning is now consistently high. The school had a recent Ofsted where PE was selected as a “deeper dive”. The Ofsted Inspector spoke highly of PE and dance, recognising the quality.”

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iSpace Wellbeing – Mental and emotional wellbeing curriculum

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 from 2 reviews

iSpace Wellbeing is the first mental and emotional wellbeing curriculum for schools and children aged 4-13. The iSpace Wellbeing curriculum provides a fun, child-friendly framework and a common language to help conversations about emotions, mental health and wellbeing become part of the fabric of everyday life.

Claire Pepler, director of Music at Dulwich Prep Cranbrook, began using the resource at the start of the 2019/20 school year. She says:

“The way that it runs throughout the whole school to date, has enabled the children, the staff and in many cases the parents, to start using the same language when talking about their wellbeing… It is apparent that iSpace and #iWonder are allowing the children to talk more freely about their thoughts and opinions… iSpace has strengthened that three-way link between children, teachers and parents – a link which is essential for the success of a wellbeing curriculum.”

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MoovKids – Movement activities focusing on the physical development of children

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 from 2 reviews

MoovKids provides a wide range of fun, innovative movement activities focusing on the physical development of children aged 3 to 8 years and special needs. Focusing on 6 different skill areas, MoovKids ensures holistic physical development and supports the learning of the fundamental movement skills.

Kelly Dayanna Puentes, director at Jardín Infantil Bilingüe Finlandia, has been using MoovKids for one year. She says:

“It’s a very well designed program, easy to understand even for non English speakers, my teachers only speak Spanish and they are able to follow the instructions and do the activities successfully. The kids enjoy it and it has contributed to their wellbeing… Children are more active, improve their coordination skills and seem happier.”

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Natterhub – Teaching online safety and digital literacy skills

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.85/5 from 7 reviews

Natterhub is a safe, gated social media platform. Created with online safety in mind, Natterhub has over 200 lessons to teach pupils all about being on screens, how to develop healthy screen behaviours, manage wellbeing and build digital resilience.

Debbie Kelly, principal at Beaumont Primary Academy, has been using Natterhub for 6 months. She says:

“Up to date innovative, creative materials mirror the excavations of curriculum – very student friendly, easy to use and, most importantly, addressing the biggest risk facing many students around digital safety… Research quality is high and teachers can be confident to learn alongside materials.”

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Nip In The Bud – Mental health awareness through FREE online films and fact sheets

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 from 1 review

The aim of Nip in the Bud is to provide mental health awareness through free online films and fact sheets to teachers, school staff, parents and others caring for primary school children, to recognise potential mental health conditions, allowing them to be “nipped in the bud” and not becoming entrenched.

Geraldine Maidment, headteacher at Annemount School, has been using Nip In The Bud since its inception. She says:

“[Nip In The Bud] is a very well researched and presented tool to impart information and training. It is accessible and considers the voice of the child. The visual impact through short videos with specialist commentary targets the significant points where answers are sought… It helps teachers to reflect on the behaviours of their pupils, understand their needs and challenges and to apply strategies.”

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Striver – Improve primary aged pupils’ long-term physical and mental wellbeing

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.7/5 from 4 reviews

Striver is the only PE scheme of work that includes health and wellbeing lessons. Over 250 PE lessons, supported by 6 wellbeing units, all housed in a web-platform that minimises the time required for admin, without cutting any corners. This ensures that children of all abilities feel motivated and engaged, and teachers of all experience levels feel confident and in control.

George Light, class teacher/PE Lead/English lead at Benhurst Primary School, has been using Striver for 9 months. He says:

“We have found Striver to be an excellent resource for our PE curriculum and will be using it across the school next year. The people at Striver are very helpful and are always on hand should any problems occur… Plans are really easy to follow, assessment tool is quick and easy and the website is easy for everyone to follow and use… Can’t wait to get it all started for real next academic year.”

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