Families
The relationships with those with whom we live as a family unit, whether we are blood relatives or not, can help to shape the relationships we have with others in our lives; friends, teachers, colleagues and partners alike.
Sometimes we all need help to make those family relationships as positive as possible and this applies to children and young people as much as adults.
The resources in this section are been gathered together to help school staff to support children in the relationships they experience with their families. They can be used in the classroom and beyond.
Classroom books
Key stage 1
Can’t You Sleep Little Bear?
Waddell, Martin
Walker Books (2005)
While Big Bear tries to read his Bear Book, Little Bear tries to sleep, but can’t. He’s scared of the dark. So Big Bear keeps bringing him progressively bigger lanterns. But nothing seems to work, until he leads Little Bear out of the Bear Cave into the dark nights.
Don’t Worry Grandpa
Ward, Nick
Red Fox (1998)
As the thunder draws nearer, the rain buckets down and the lightning begins to flash overhead, Grandpa gets more and more jittery. But luckily Charlie is close by to hold his hand and keep him calm with an ingenious story of what is really happening in the sky outside.
I Want My Mum (Little Princess series)
Ross, Tony
Harper Collins Children’s Books (2008)
When things don’t go well for the Little Princess, she knows there is only one person who can make them better, so she yells, “I WANT MY MUM!”
But when the Little Princess finally learns to cope on her own, how does the Queen feel?
I’ll Take You To Mrs Cole!
Gray, Nigel
Andersen (1998)
About a boy who lives with his mother, who when is naughty his mother threatens him with Mrs Cole, who appears to be a disreputable character living in squalor. He runs away and finds himself outside Mrs Cole’s house. Invited in he discovers that the chaotic house is welcoming.
Little Fish
Genechten, Guido van
Little Tiger Press (2006)
Little Fish is looking for his mummy. He meets a red crab, an orange starfish, a green turtle, a purple octopus and a blue whale. But what colour is his mummy and where can she be?
Owl Babies
Waddell, Martin
Walker Books Ltd (1994)
Tells the story of three baby owls who wake up one night to find that their mother has gone. They sit outside on a branch waiting for her, worrying about what has happened to her, but much to their relief she does return.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Rosen, Michael
Walker Books (1993)
Follow the family’s excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of the bear. A surprise awaits in the cave on the other side of the dark forest, fight through a whirling snowstorm, and enter a gloomy cave.
What Will Emily Do?
Cross, Gillian
Mammoth (1995)
Matthew can’t wait to start school, and it isn’t until his first day that he begins to wonder what his little sister Emily will do while he’s away. At first he finds a way to keep her busy, but the first week holds surprises for both of them
Key stage 2
Kezzie
Breslin, Theresa
Egmont Books Ltd (2002)
Kezzie and her sister Lucy are left to live with their grandfather after their father dies, they manage to survive on the little work him and Kezzie can find. But life turns sour when Lucy goes missing and is taken up by an adoption agency who send her to Canada.
The Story Of Tracy Beaker
Wilson, Jacqueline
Yearling (2011)
Tracy is ten years old. She lives in a children’s home but would like a real home one day, with a real family. Meet Tracy, follow her story and share her hopes for the future as told in Tracy’s own words.
Key stage 3
Ember Fury
Brett, Cathy
Headline (2009)
Ember has celebrity parents who have money to burn but dad’s more interested in blazing to the top of the charts than why you got kicked out of school; it can make you seriously angry. But Ember knows the smallest spark of anger can ignite a whole heap of trouble.
Videos
EBD (emotional and behavioural difficulties): the systemic approach
Primary mental health – Daryl’s story
Recommended reading
Beever, S. Happy Kids Happy You: using NLP to bring out the best in ourselves and the children we care for, Crown House 2009
A guide for parents looking for effective ways of building better relationships with their children.
Research
Waters, T. (2011) Story Links: Engaging parents of pupils with behaviour difficulties and poor literacy through therapeutic storywriting
The Journal of Educational Psychotherapy, Issue 18, Autumn 2011
A Guide to Promoting Resilience in Children: Strengthening the Human Spirit by Edith H Grotberg, PhD. A guide, based on the International Resilience Project, to help adults promote resilience in children.