Disclosure: This is a collaborative post about children’s mental health issues.
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Why Should We Worry About Children’s Mental Health?
Children’s mental health has taken its toll over the last couple of years. Before the 2020 pandemic it was already known that many children had low self esteem and anxieties. Mental health issues is one of the main reasons that children are pulled out of school to be home educated. There are many reasons for children to have mental health problems. However, having the language to talk openly and comfortably about how they feel can really help support children and their mental health. This is where Melva Mapletree comes in.
Who Is Melva Mapletree?
Melva Mapletree is a fictional character developed by Mortal Fools, a theatre, drama and creative learning charity based in Northumberland. These worrits are basically various worries that make Melva anxious and never leave her little cottage. That is aside to go to the village school. With her niggling voice, Giddeon, her Grandpa and a few friendly faces along the way Melva learns ways to manage her worrits.
Through the Melva Mapletree story children aged 7-11 can identify similar worries to Melva. Learn useful language to help them discuss their feelings and ways to help children cope with their own worrits.
There are two elements to the Melva story. First the film package which tells of how Melva overcomes her worrits and learns how to cope with them. The second is the interactive game package, where she follows the clues to rescue her friend Barnabus Boggle.
The Film Package
The Melva film was originally produced as a theatre show, which toured schools in the North East of England in 2019. During the pandemic this was turned into a digital film to allow Melva to reach an even wider audience.
The film involves several characters, although the main character is of course Melva herself. As Melva has a lot of different anxieties we learn more about how she feels and her grandpa’s plan to help her.
Melva undertakes a journey up Mount Scratchicle to find her Grandpa. This leads to a big change for her, where she learns to cope with her anxieties with help of other characters. This film really helps children to think about their own anxieties and how best to talk to their family and friends. Check out the video below for a snippet from the film!
The film and game package can be bought together for schools, with unlimited number of users. Families can buy the game package below for £9.99 for 4 users.
The Interactive Game Package
The interactive game element of Melva is designed for families and perfect for kids to do at home. As a home educator I particularly liked that the game was easy to dip in and out of. Although saying that, my two were more than happy to continue playing for ages! It’s £9.99 for the family game package, giving families 4 users who can play separately and re-visit whenever they like. This price also includes the guide for parents and an activity book to be printed out. The activities are great for kids to understand their thoughts and feelings and also discuss them with their guardians.
With the various interactive sections, from click-throughs and games, to searching for clues and helping Melva make decisions, it’s definitely an engaging platform.
The kids were particularly engaged with the game. They finished it over a few days, with them often badgering me to play it again! So it’s quite clear that they enjoyed the game! Both of them thought it was funny and enjoyed the mini games too. Catching chicken eggs was definitely a favourite, as were getting to choose what Melva says!
The youngest is already good at discussing his feelings, but I think this has also given my eldest language to help him think about how he feels too. My youngest recently had a vaccination and the nurse asked him how he felt about it. His answer was ‘I feel a little anxious, but I think it will be ok.’ I’m proud of him for letting others know how he feels without being scared.
Honest Open Discussions With Kids
It is important for parents to also learn about Melva and how she deals with her worrits. Through the program you can help support your own children’s mental health. There is a parent user guide that is useful to find out what the kids will learn. But you can also discuss your child’s own anxieties and worries together using Melva as a jumping off point.
The family packages also come with a family activity book. It can be printed out and both children and adults may find it useful to fill this in together. These open and honest discussions can really help support children’s mental health. It can show that these are normal processes of daily life.
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