Colman Noctor:  Wellbeing in school cannot be taught. It has to be lived

We can teach children about empathy, resilience, and emotional regulation through structured lessons, but if they lack opportunities to apply these skills in real relationships, the learning remains abstract. Wellbeing needs to be practised as well as taught

Play is how children learn to socialise and make friends. These skills cannot be learned from a book. Picture: iStock 

“I don't bloody know what makes me happy,” my daughter said through tears and exhaustion, while completing her ‘wellbeing homework’ at the kitchen table.

If we are asking children to do wellbeing homework worksheets, we have fundamentally misunderstood what mental health is all about.