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When I became a mum at 22, I thought I had it all figured out. I’d studied child development, worked with children, and understood how to scaffold their growth. I knew exactly how my child would behave—and how they wouldn’t. Then my baby arrived.
Suddenly, what I thought I knew didn’t feel quite so certain. My emotions were engaged in a way they never had been when I cared for other people’s little ones, when my son was upset, I hurt too, I wanted to fix things for him, and when I couldn’t, it stirred up uncomfortable feelings in me. I didn’t realise then that my own emotional discomfort was driving how I responded to him.
Looking back, I see how often I unintentionally closed the door on exploring difficult emotions—not just because of his emotions, but also because of my own. It was easier to “make it go away” than to sit with those feelings. Now, with the benefit of evidence, science, and my own professional and personal growth, I know that resilience doesn’t come from avoiding emotions, it comes from feeling them, sitting with them, and learning how to navigate them.
Why Do Children Need Emotional Education?
We’re seeing more children, teens, and even adults struggling with emotions, mental health, and well-being, the world we live in is fast-paced, often overwhelming, and increasingly focused on screens and cognitive skills rather than sensory experiences. Social media and constant content consumption have become what I call “the largest unregulated brain experiment of our time.” The long-term impact? We don’t fully know yet—but the struggles we see in our children today hint at what the future could hold.
When I reflect on my own childhood, I realise how much I needed someone to tell me that my emotions were normal, yet I couldn't even understand them or communicate them in healthy ways. I struggled deeply with my identity, I didn’t know who I was, so I constantly adapted to fit in with the social groups around me, I didn’t feel I belonged anywhere, and I carried the weight of low self-worth and frequent feelings of anxiety, panic and depression. If someone had been able to educate me about emotions and self-esteem back then, my pathway would have been different. I would have explored and understood myself more, instead of trying to mould myself to what others wanted.
Bridge the Gap exists because of this—because of my experiences as a child, a parent, and now a professional working in this field. But it’s not just my story. Our team are with us for a reason: we care deeply about children feeling understood.
When children don’t feel understood, the impact doesn’t just disappear as they grow older. It weaves itself into their behaviours, their actions, their relationships, and their adult experiences and mental health. We see it time and again, and it motivates us to make a difference, to help break that cycle.
What Is Growing Minds?
Growing Minds is a 6-week programme designed to teach children the basics of emotions, resilience, and well-being in a fun, creative, and supportive environment. Through activities, stories, and discussions, children explore emotional literacy in ways that are engaging and meaningful.
Each week, experienced practitioners guide children through:
Understanding emotions: What are they? Why do we feel them?
Learning coping strategies: From breathing techniques to grounding exercises.
Building confidence: Recognising their strengths and celebrating small wins.
Nurturing friendships: Exploring kindness, communication, and collaboration.
Developing resilience: Understanding that difficult emotions are normal and temporary.
But it’s not just about the children, as parents, we play a critical role in helping our kids navigate their emotions, we need to be able to hold a space for them to feel them, ask questions and share without us always having the answer or 'fix'. That’s why Growing Minds includes weekly handouts for parents, sharing what your child has learned and offering practical ways to reinforce these lessons at home. Think of it like the guidance schools provide for helping with maths—but for your child’s emotional world.
Why Does This Matter?
We wouldn’t try to teach a child to swim while they’re drowning, yet so many of us try to build resilience during crises. Emotional education needs to happen before the storms hit, giving children the tools they’ll need when times get tough—which they inevitably will. Life isn’t easy, but with the right foundation, children can face its challenges with the knowledge that emotions pass, situations change and they can be confident in that fact.
Looking back on my own journey—as a child, as a parent, and now working in this field—I see so clearly what I needed. I needed to understand more about how to feel, how to feel sad, how to feel anxious and angry I needed to have someone name these things for me to help me feel them safely. I needed to know that emotions, even the big messy ones, are a normal part of life.
That’s what Growing Minds is all about. It’s not just about helping children feel better in the moment, it’s about giving them skills for life. And, honestly, it’s not just for the children.
When I was a child, I didn’t have this kind of preventative education. When I was a young mum, I didn’t know it was possible to help my son in this way...but now I do, and I want you to know it too.
If you’re ready to give your child (and yourself) the chance to learn, grow, and build resilience in a way that feels achievable and empowering, Growing Minds is here for you.
It’s never too late to learn, and it’s always the right time to grow.
Let’s do this together. 🌱
For more information about Growing Minds and how to join, visit here, or email us at info@jwbridgethegap.com.
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