Northern Ireland

Free resource for NI primary schools to help children overcome anxiety, build resilience and confidence

It is hoped the resource can help children overcome anxiety, build confidence and take control of their emotions
It is hoped the resource can help children overcome anxiety, build confidence and take control of their emotions

A free resource has been created for primary schools to help children overcome anxiety, build resilience and confidence as well as self-esteem.

Aimed at children aged seven to 10, the resource is called 'I Can't to I Can' and comprises of five days of lesson plans and animations for teachers to provide their pupils.

It is hoped the information can teach children simple brain hacks that "can last a lifetime and turn around a child’s negative thinking within a month".

It comes after research by RTT Method within secondary schools found an estimated 10 per cent of year 10 and 11 suffered from anxiety, often coupled with a lack of confidence.

Researchers said the combination can have a "crippling effect on their lives, preventing them from enjoying school, hampering their learning and impacting their social life".

But the new resource aims to reduce these numbers by helping primary school children in Northern Ireland to overcome anxiety, build confidence and take control of their emotions.

Available online, the material is based around the RTT concept of installing the inner cheerleader.

Kerin Muddle from one of the schools where RTT therapy was piloted said: "RTT made a huge impact on our students who felt more in control and understood how to manage their emotions after a single session.

"They could recognise negative emotions and were able to see them for what they were and turn them on their head.

"Providing primary children with RTT resources will make everyone's lives easier - parents and teachers but especially the children themselves.

"They will experience immediate benefits and emotional know-how that will stay with them throughout their lives."

For more information, please visit https://method.rtt.com/i-cant-to-i-can-challenge/