Scottish Children’s Health Week starts on Monday 2 September! A week that promotes and champions the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland, alongside defending their right to the best possible health.

Children’s Health Scotland believe that every child has the right to the best possible health, and to support this, have launched a national My Health, My Rights Campaign which aims to give voice to the healthcare concerns and priorities raised by the children and young people they support, whilst growing awareness of healthcare rights and the benefits of health-related play. If you would like to give your support to the campaign, then why not take their Healthcare Rights Quiz and see if you are #HealthcareRightsAware.

This week is supported by their many partners, with each day focusing on a different theme and partner:

#BeActive Monday with Learning Through Landscapes (2 September 2024)

We can all benefit from being active every day. It can help you feel stronger, more energetic, sleep better – and have FUN! Today, let’s get involved with games, spend time outdoors, and get out bodies moving. All kinds of exercise will help your health and wellbeing physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally. So, let’s #BeActive!

#BeBrave Tuesday with Winston’s Wish (3 September 2024)

Being brave doesn’t always feel like being brave. If you stretch yourself and do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, it can increase your confidence and make you feel proud. When we are brave, we can try new things, meet new people and best of all, have fun! All these things can give our mental health and wellbeing a boost. So why not try and #BeBrave today?

#BeCalm Wednesday and #KeepRightsOnTrack with Together Scotland (4 September 2024)

It can be hard to control your emotions. There will always be times when you feel overwhelmed, angry, scared, or unsure. While these powerful feelings are normal, there are some things you can do to help #BeCalm when you feel this way.

#BeHappy Thursday with Family Fund (5 September 2024)

Being happy is not just about feeling good. Happiness is also about emotional health and wellbeing and being able to make the most of the good times and cope with the bad ones, to experience the best possible life. Happiness really is a skill that we can all learn that will last for a lifetime, so no matter the circumstances we can always try to #BeHappy.

#BeFriendly Friday with Children & Young People’s Commissioner Scotland (6 September 2024)

Relationships and feeling connected to other people is one of the most important ways to positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. One of the best ways to stay connected to people is through our friends. Good friends are always there for us and pick us up when we are down. Spending time with them and laughing together creates a real feel-good factor and is good for our mental wellbeing. It is important not only to reach out to our old friends but also to new people as well so we can always #BeFriendly.

#BeKind Saturday with Action For Children (7 September 2024)

The smallest act of kindness can make a huge difference, whether it’s a kind word, a thank you or even just a super smile! There are bigger acts of kindness such as volunteering or going shopping for someone who needs your help. Being kind helps us connect with other people, makes them feel good, and helps our own mental health and wellbeing too! So, it is important to always #BeKind.

#BeHelpful Sunday with the British Red Cross (8 September 2024)

Being helpful means doing things to care for yourself, your family, friends, and community. It can start with looking for people who might need your help and doing something to help them out of love. What could you do today to #BeHelpful and make someone feel special?

To get children and young people involved, Children’s Health Scotland have created an exciting Activity Book with a week’s worth of activities for you to join in with – each correlating to that day’s theme. Get involved throughout the week with the many activities available, or join in on social media with the hashtags #SCHW #ScottishChildrensHealthWeek #BeMoreBear #MyHealthMyRights.

More information can be found at the Children’s Health Scotland website, with each day’s page linked above.