Positive Body Image and Attitudes resources for Children and Young People!

We know that body image is an issue for young people. This year, the NSPCC reported that their Childline service gave over 4,000 counselling sessions on the topic of body image and disordered eating. Our own Pupil Lifestyle Survey has reported that Doncaster children worry about the way that they look. Amongst secondary school children in particular, perceptions of the way they look is the thing they worry most about (36%). In primary school pupils, 20% worry about the way they look, and this increases to 27% amongst primary school girls.  

In Doncaster primary schools, physical attributes can be a target of bullying, with 29% of pupils saying they were bullied because of the way they looked and a further 25% because of their size or weight. In secondary schools, these numbers rise, with 51% of all pupils who say they have been picked on or bullied say it was because of the way they look and a further 36% say it was because of their size or weight.  

Choosing Kindness - for ourselves and for others - is important, especially during times of the year when it is easy to be unkind to ourselves. At New Year, there can be a lot of pressure to set strict (but perhaps unrealistic) targets for the year ahead, and to put pressure on ourselves to make drastic changes. For a lot of people, these targets are linked to our body image.  

We want to continue to encourage health-promoting behaviours in the New Year, such as increasing physical activity levels and eating a varied diet, without putting too much pressure or expectation on young people’s body image. We know that poor body image can lead to worse health outcomes over time and affect young people’s relationships with food and exercise.  

Let's resolve to be compassionate with ourselves this year! We have put together some worksheets that can be completed by young people – at school or at home – that promote positive body image and attitudes. Please find them linked below.

CYPF Compassionate Activity Pack

Download (2.96MB - PDF)

Additional resources are also available on the YourLifeDoncaster Wellbeing page that are suitable for both adults and children, on the theme of setting alternative New Year resolutions: www.yourlifedoncaster.co.uk/wellbeing  

If you need more support or guidance on body image and wellbeing in young people, consider the following sources of information:  

• Be The Kind Kid (adobe.com) 
• Mental Health Resources for Parents and Young People - YourLifeDoncaster 
• Choose Kindness - YourLifeDoncaster 
• The Body Happy Org 
• Be Body Positive - Support for Young People, Parents, Carers & Professionals 
• The UK's Eating Disorder Charity - Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) 
• NEDC-Fact-Sheet-Body-Image.pdf 
• Contact School Nursing – RDaSH NHS Foundation Trust 
• Donny Dot – Connecting people of Doncaster to mental health and wellbeing information, advice and support. 
• Kindness In School Programme™ — Be Kind Movement 
• Positive Body Image - Keeping Well Nel 
• Body image | YoungMinds 
• Statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE). - Healthy Schools (healthylearningdoncaster.co.uk)