Save The Children And Peppa Pig Launch Mindfulness Month

A new campaign from Save the Children and Peppa Pig launched this week is aimed at encouraging mindfulness in young children.

Timed to coincide with World Mental Health Day on Sunday 10 October, the month-long campaign includes a virtual kid’s yoga event hosted by children’s yoga expert Michaela Sangl (Friday October 15) and more than 50 learning resources dedicated to teaching young children and their parents and whānau about mindfulness.

Created for Save the Children’s new online Education Hub in partnership with Peppa Pig and Twinkl, the resources include a range of activities to encourage mindfulness practices from daily photography challenges to nature walks, stretching and breathing exercises to calming strategies for ECE. 

“The impact of Covid has sharpened our awareness of the importance of good mental health for our children,” Save the Children’s Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey says.

“All over the world children have been impacted by lockdowns, with growing concerns about rising levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Strategies such as mindfulness provide tools to help children cope better when they’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed – and for our youngest tamariki, we hope that a familiar face like Peppa Pig will help encourage them to join in these activities.”

The campaign comes at a time when new analysis by Save the Children, using data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government ResponseTracker, reveals that children globally have lived under required and recommended nationwide lockdowns for an average of six months – or 184 days since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020.

Children in Venezuela have faced one of the longest periods at home, with intermittent lockdowns keeping children inside for up to 16 months, while in Lebanon, children were confined to their homes for 418 days. Across Zimbabwe, children were in lockdown for nearly nine months this year alone. And currently in New Zealand, children in Auckland are still feeling the impact of lockdown restrictions.

Save the Children is warning that these extended lockdowns are taking a devastating toll on children’s mental health globally and is urging all governments to include and prioritise access to mental health and psychosocial support for children and adolescents in national health services. 

Ms Southey says children of all ages can benefit from mindfulness, and the activities have been designed to be used in both the classroom and home. We hope these fun resources will be valuable in supporting the thousands of Auckland tamariki in Level 3 lockdowns, as well as children aged 3-10 years across New Zealand.

“It’s been a tough time for many of our youngest children, who haven’t been able to connect with many of the people who are usually part of their lives. We’re delighted to join with our long-term partner Peppa Pig in helping support mindfulness and wellbeing amongst our little ones and encourage parents and adults to register for our free virtual storybook yoga event and check out the many resources available on our Education Hub.”

Join Save the Children, Peppa Pig and Kidspot New Zealand at our virtual yoga event on October 15 to celebrate the Mindfulness Month by heading to https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/peppa-pig-practices-mindfulness-storybook-yoga-tickets-185315392327 and RSVP.

Visit https://www.savethechildren.org.nz/about-us/our-partnerships/peppa-pig-practices-mindfulness to sign up for Peppa’s Mindfulness Month, access resources and support Save the Children to continue their vital work by raising much needed funds.