Kate says talk about your feelings at start of Children’s Mental Health Week

The princess visited a school in east London to talk to pupils about how they manage their emotions

The Princess of Wales with pupils from St John's Church of England Primary School in Bethnal Green, London. PA

A group of pupils have been encouraged to “keep talking about your feelings” by the Princess of Wales, as she marked the start of Children’s Mental Health Week by joining them for a craft lesson.

In a video released at the start of the awareness week, Kate made paper chains with pupils from a primary school in London’s East End and chatted with them about how they cope with their feelings.

“Connecting releases our emotions to other people that we care about,” one little boy from St John’s Church of England Primary School in Bethnal Green told the future queen.

“I take deep breaths in, then I drink a glass of water,” another classmate said to Kate when she asked how they coped with strong feelings.

Kate is the royal patron of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be that founded the annual Children’s Mental Health Week.

This year it has the theme Let’s Connect, encouraging children to make meaningful connections with others to support their mental well-being.

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At the end of the session, the princess said: “Well, thank you for having a chat with me today.

“And keep talking about your feelings, and keep asking others how they’re doing and helping them to talk about their feelings as well.

“I’m a firm believer in giving children the skills that they need for life and focusing on their social and emotional development.”

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Place2Be’s chief executive, Catherine Roche, says in the video: “Children’s Mental Health Week was founded by Place2Be in 2015 and the aim is to build awareness and understanding of children and young people’s mental health.

“All week, schools, families, youth groups will be getting involved and taking part.

"People thrive in communities and when we have really good positive connections with others, that’s really, really good for our emotional health and well-being.”

Last week, Kate launched her Shaping Us campaign, an ambitious project described as her “life’s work” and aimed at raising the profile of the early years development of children.