Talking about mental health in primary classrooms can feel daunting. Teachers know these conversations matter – but finding age‑appropriate, practical ways to start them isn’t always straightforward.
As Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May) approaches, Premier League recommends turning to an unexpected ally: football.
Through Premier League Primary Stars, teachers can use a suite of football‑themed, time-efficient, PSHE‑aligned lessons to help pupils explore emotions, resilience and wellbeing in ways that feel familiar and engaging.
For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week in particular, Premier League Primary Stars has launched a new resource, Skills for Big Feelings, which can also be used year-round.
The Skills for Big Feelings resource pack is for KS1 and KS2 pupils and helps supports pupils to:
- Identify and understand big feelings
- Describe emotions clearly and confidently
- Explore positive ways to manage strong emotions.
With no-prep needed, it’s ideal for PSHE and wellbeing sessions.
Premier League Primary Stars also has suite of additional Mental Health Awareness resources available for free – these include:
Actions and Reactions – This lesson helps encourage pupils to look at real scenarios – from winning matches to handling disappointment – and explore how emotions affect behaviour. Children are encouraged to name what they’re feeling, notice how emotions show up in the body and consider positive ways to respond.
Another lesson, Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, draws clear links between movement, mental wellbeing and everyday self‑care. For teachers, this creates a natural bridge between PE, PSHE and whole‑school wellbeing priorities.
“There’s something powerful about using a context children already care about,” says one teacher using the resources. “It makes difficult conversations feel less intimidating.”
For schools looking to go beyond awareness posters and assemblies, these lesson‑based approaches offer a practical way to embed mental wellbeing into everyday learning.
