Last week marked Children's Mental Health Week and we got behind this year’s theme ‘Express Yourself’ by sharing some of the successes ROMBi has made on young people’s lives.
The impact of the pandemic's restrictions on young people mean it's more important than ever to look after the mental wellbeing of children and teenagers.
The annual event was a great opportunity for us all to come together and speak with children about their mental health. With ongoing home-schooling and lockdowns, there's never been a better time to do so.
Even the Duchess of Cambridge backed this year’s campaign by promoting getting young people talking about mental health.
Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music is urging the government and leaders in education ‘to prioritise young people’s wellbeing and to take a holistic view of their mental health’ rather than a ‘continual obsession’ with attainment and exams, adding that ‘music can play a vital role in helping them thrive’. (https://www.rhinegold.co.uk/music_teacher/midway-through-childrens-mental-health-week-whats-the-news/)
ROMBi
ROMBi is an exciting new product that is helping children and adults worldwide by prioritising spatial awareness as a basic component of perception. This is as vital for effective learning and problem-solving as it is for physical dexterity.
Perceptual (spatial) organisation determines how the mind coordinates cognitive functions, memory, attention, organisation of ideas, fine motor skills and gross motor skills.
Recent research with Vanessa Duncan, Young Person’s Senior Worker for St Giles revealed that ongoing usage of ROMBi with her pupils had resulted in:
- 1.Greater focus, especially with day-to-day tasks
- 2.Decreased behavioural issues
- 3.Acceptance of praise (where previous praise had been disregarded or ignored)
Vanessa cannot promote the benefits of ROMBi enough, explaining that initially many of the pupils who engaged struggled with frustration at not understanding the puzzle immediately. Some pupils were unwilling to progress with ROMBi, convinced that they couldn’t complete it. But for those who pushed through, the results have been amazing. One girl has even managed to complete the 16 piece puzzles in just 12 seconds.
Vanessa added “We need to encourage people to be patient with the puzzle. Most of the students we work with have a lot going on in their lives. There’s so much change for them. ROMBi is a constant. It’s a safe haven amongst the chaos. It might take a few weeks but it definitely works!”
Improvements in pupils’ ability to do the puzzle indicate improvements in the ability processing information more effectively, which bears out in many diverse practical ways.
Supporting Children's Mental Health
Wondering what families and teachers can do to help support children’s mental health and anxiety?
Place2Be have created a host of helpful information to help people get involved. Check out these ideas to explore this year’s theme ‘Express Yourself’ - Click Here!
In addition, ROMBi have launched the ROMBi Partner Programme, a research project that will see ROMBi, Education Specialist, Penny Georgiou and primary schools working collaboratively to support those pupils most in need.
As part of the programme schools are receiving a FREE ROMBi worth £69.95. To enquire about taking part in the programme get in touch with Danielle today at danielle@rombipuzzle.com.
