5 ways Ollee can help support your child's mental health
Learning to talk about feelings is an important step for children in understanding mental health and wellbeing.
Ollee is a digital friend for children aged 8-11, developed by Parent Zone and funded by BBC Children in Need. It helps children explore their feelings and develop emotional literacy.
So how do children interact with Ollee? We’ve collected five of the most popular questions that children discuss with Ollee – and the ways Ollee can help.
1. “What is it about friends that is making you sad?”
Friendships are hugely important to children, and conflict within them can be very distressing. 20% of children using Ollee said that they felt sad, and this was often linked to friendships.
Your child may feel left out, jealous of new people joining a friendship group, or even experience bullying.
Ollee can help children to process how they feel in these different situations and learn how to manage them.
Ollee gives lots of different suggestions that children can try to help them feel calmer and more able to deal with what they’re going through. This includes mindfulness videos, such as encouraging your child to envisage a calm, sunny beach.
2. “What is it about the internet that is making you worried?”
Children’s online lives can be fun, fulfilling and educational, but sometimes the internet can be a cause of stress. At 19%, “worried” was the second most discussed emotion.
It’s easy for your child to make a mistake online – such as saying something they regret, talking to someone they don’t know or just seeing something distressing.
Building resilience is at the heart of Ollee’s approach to helping children deal with problems online.
Ollee helps children understand that it’s OK to have made a mistake, and gives advice to move forward positively. It also directs them to external sites such as CEOP, if they have a particularly serious problem that needs a more formal response.
3. “What is it about school that is making you happy?”
Ollee is there to help children recognise and celebrate when they’re feeling good, as well as bad or low – and 18% of children using Ollee said that they felt happy.
School is often the centre of a child’s social world, as well as a place to boost their confidence and learn new things.
Many children using Ollee said that they felt excited about what they were learning, that they valued their teachers and enjoyed spending time with their friends.
4. “What is it about school that is making you stressed?”
For all its positives, school can also be a big cause of stress for children. They may be struggling to keep up with work, feel worried about getting into trouble or anxious about upcoming exams.
Ollee teaches children not to panic about falling behind or feeling overwhelmed, and reminds them that their wellbeing is the most important thing.
The advice includes pictures of cute animals to help take your child’s mind off feeling stressed, alongside practical advice for how to approach a teacher or trusted adult about managing their work.
5. “What is it about your body that is making you confused?”
Puberty can be a really difficult period for children. Hormones can make them feel angry or upset, and it can be doubly hard if their body is changing at a different pace to those of their friends.
Ollee explains that these changes are normal, even if they are hard to deal with sometimes, and encourages children to talk about what they’re going through with their friends or a trusted adult.
If your child is particularly worried, Ollee also directs children to reliable external sources so that they can learn more about the effects of going through puberty.
How else can Ollee help?
Ollee helps children learn to identify and process what they’re feeling – but sometimes, they might not be sure. If this is the case, children can also select “I don’t know how I feel”. Ollee then walks them through steps to process it, breaking down feelings like “sad” into more specific ones, such as “lonely”.
No matter how your child is feeling, Ollee is there to help them support their mental health and learn how to talk about their worries and difficulties. The app is free to download from the App store and the Google Play store, or you can use Ollee via a web browser.