At JIGSAW Thornbury, we believe that wellbeing grows best when we do it together. That’s why every month we run Project 5 Growing Empowerment Together.
Inspired by Mind’s ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ (Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, Take Notice, and Give), each session is a chance to share ideas, explore new strategies, and build stronger connections as families. There’s always thought-provoking conversation, creativity, laughter, and sharing – along with plenty of moments to remind us that none of us are on this journey alone.
Project 5 has really helped me see that I’m not the only parent finding things tricky sometimes. The support here is amazing. Parent feedback
One of the most special parts of Project 5 is that parents and young people attend together. These shared experiences bring so many benefits – for both adults and children alike! Spending this time together helps both build deeper bonds. Sharing activities, laughter, and discoveries creates special memories and strengthens relationships in such a natural, joyful way.
Exploring emotions together helps families find new ways to talk about feelings. It becomes easier for children to express how they feel – and for parents to listen, understand, and support them. Children see that their parents are still learning too, which sets a powerful example. It shows that growing, reflecting, and trying new things is something we all do – no matter our age!
Both parents and children learn tools to support their wellbeing – from calm-down techniques to emotional awareness. Practising these together means everyone can remind each other when things get tricky.
Being part of Project 5 reminds every family that they’re not alone. Parents find support from one another, children make new friends, and everyone feels the warmth of the JIGSAW community.
These sessions have given us tools we can actually use at home – and they make such a difference.
– Parent feedback
The Project 5 Wellbeing Journal
Our Project 5 Growing Empowerment Together sessions are supported by a journal developed around Mind’s 5 ways to wellbeing for anxious children and young people to use at home, helping develop an understanding of why we become anxious and coping strategies.
Sue from JIGSAW explains – Albus, JIGSAW’s own therapy dog, and I teamed up to create JIGSAW Thornbury’s very own Wellbeing Journal specially designed for children aged 7 to 14 years. It’s packed with ideas, information, and simple strategies that build on what they’ve learned in the Project 5 sessions – and offers plenty more to try out in between! The journal can also be enjoyed all on its own, with children free to dip in and out, explore at their own pace, and discover fun, creative ways to boost their wellbeing along the way.
The Project 5 Journal covers key wellbeing topics such as: 
- Understanding and naming emotions
- Managing big feelings and calming the body and brain
- Sleep and healthy rest habits
- Building connections and expressing gratitude
- Navigating anxiety and worries
- Recognising unhelpful thoughts and building positive self-talk
- Exploring confidence, strengths, and taking control
Each section is packed with child-friendly advice, calming techniques and fun activities to encourage self-awareness, emotional regulation, and mindfulness in a way that’s both engaging and age appropriate.
Find out more, and purchase a copy online from the JIGSAW shop
Want to know what happens at Project 5 Growing Empowerment Together?
October saw the start of a new year of Project 5 and we leapt straight into the world of emotions.
We soon covered a board with all the emotions and feelings we have through the day. Naming them and noticing where we feel them in our bodies. We discovered that our fingers and toes can curl up tight, our shoulders sometimes slump or rise to our ears, our tummies can flutter or hurt, and even our heads and hair can feel tense when emotions run high! It was amazing to see how everyone – children and parents alike – could relate and share their experiences.
Many of the children already knew about the Zones of Regulation, and they helped explain the zones to their parents. Together we then grouped all the different emotions they had previously discussed into the zones – blue, green, yellow, and red zones. We even discussed and drew what shapes might represent each zone – a fun and imaginative way to think about how feelings can look and feel! Our shapes are now proudly on display at JIGSAW Thornbury, alongside our very own Tree of Regulation. Be sure to stop by and have a look next time you visit.
The children loved reading ‘The Story of the Colour Tree‘ – a beautiful tale about a tree whose leaves changed colour with people’s feelings. When a storm damaged the tree’s colours, its strong roots (and the kindness of the people who cared for it) helped it recover. It reminded us all how important it is to have strong roots – family, friends, and community – to help us through the tricky times.
To finish our session, the children got crafty making emotion fortune tellers, each filled with calming activities to try at home. Meanwhile, parents created a bright, lively display of parenting tips – perfect for pinning up somewhere visible, ready for those “deep breath” moments we all have.
Things are explained in a really easy to understand way, backed up with fun activities to help. – Parent member
And yes, you will be welcomed with a hot or cold drink and a biscuit. Mugs can be topped up as often as needed!
Previous Session Themes
Over the past months, our Project 5 journey has taken us through some amazing themes – each one helping families learn, laugh, and grow together in new ways.
All About Me
We started by exploring who we are – celebrating all the wonderful words that describe us! Children created lists of words they felt represented them, then worked with their parents to add even more. The pride on the children’s faces when their parents shared kind, positive words about them was simply heartwarming. We turned these words into colourful superhero pictures, adding our hobbies, interests, and aspirations – a creative reminder of our strengths and uniqueness.
I like learning about feelings with my mum. We talk about them now when I get cross or sad.
– Child feedback
The Power of “YET”
We discovered the most powerful little word – YET! We talked about how adding ‘yet’ to a tricky thought (“I can’t do this… yet!”) can turn frustration into hope. We also explored mistake and failure, questioning if these are negative words. To ‘fail’ is just our ‘First Attempt In Learning’. Afterall some of the world’s greatest inventions started as mistakes! It was a brilliant reminder that mistakes aren’t failures – they’re part of learning and growing.
Sleep and Rest
Another session focused on sleep and how it affects our wellbeing. We talked about bedtime routines, how much sleep we really get, and shared ideas for winding down. Together, we made soothing sleep mists using calming essential oils – a lovely take-home treat for restful nights.
Christmas Calm
December can be a difficult month from some children, we looked at how the festive season can sometimes feel overwhelming – all the excitement, changes in routine, and surprises can bring a mix of emotions.
We explored ways to manage these feelings, from making a planner to note all the activities that will be happening, building a routine and calmer time out moments during busy days. Everyone made beautiful glitter snow globes — perfect for taking a quiet moment to pause and breathe when things get a bit too sparkly!
Join us next time!
Our Project 5 sessions truly capture the heart of JIGSAW — connection, creativity, community, and care. Each month is a new adventure, filled with laughter, learning, and love. It’s a wonderful way to spend time together, meet other families, and discover fun ways to boost everyone’s wellbeing.
If you haven’t joined us yet, why not come along to our next Project 5 session happening after schooltime on the first Wednesday of each month. Head over to the events webpage for all the session details and to book. We can’t wait to see you there!
Calling all teachers, SENDCOs and Headteachers…
How about inviting JIGSAW Thornbury to bring our Project 5 ‘Sense It’ sessions to your schools? A full 6-week wellbeing programme tailored for Years 2, 4 and 6 and designed to be a supportive tool for your PSHE curriculum.
In these sessions we bring the themes to life through games, discussions and practical activities, helping children explore emotions, learn calming strategies and build resilience in an engaging way.
Thank you for coming to our school and telling us how we can deal with our worries and how to make friends. My favourite things was EVERYTHING!, talking about how to make friends, making pillow spray, making fidgets and how to deal with anger. Thank you. – Year 6 pupil
Previous schools have found the sessions well pitched, highly engaging and enjoyable for pupils, with excellent feedback on how well the content supported their PSHE goals. For Year 6, the programme also includes additional resources to support transition to secondary school, focusing on confidence, worries and practical coping skills.
The children thoroughly enjoyed and actively engaged with the activities. It was particularly encouraging to see them beginning to apply the techniques introduced. It was also powerful for the children to gain insight into how their peers perceive them, fostering a positive sense of self-awareness. The sessions were thoughtfully and professionally delivered. – Year 4 teacher
Please get in touch with Sue at JIGSAW if you’re interested at training@jigsawthornbury.org.uk. We’d love to support the incredible work schools are already doing to help children thrive emotionally and mentally.
Wait there’s more…something for Youth Leaders
We also offer interactive sessions for Youth Workers designed to build confidence and understanding when supporting children and young people with a range of needs. These sessions encourage participants to think about the children and young people they already support, reflecting on their individual experiences, strengths, and challenges. We also explore the environments they create — both physical and emotional — and how small adjustments can make a big difference to inclusion, comfort, and wellbeing.
These sessions aim to leave youth workers feeling inspired, better equipped, and full of ideas to make their spaces welcoming, supportive, and fun for every young person they work with.
Please get in touch with Sue at JIGSAW if you’re interested at training@jigsawthornbury.org.uk.
Blog written by Sue Hammond, JIGSAW Sessional Trainer.
Sue is the sessional trainer at JIGSAW Thornbury leading the delivery of our monthly Project 5 Growing Empowerment Together. Sue also delivers wellbeing sessions for pupils in schools, sensory audits and sensory space training for schools, and workshops for parents, carers, and youth workers out in the community, including our WIDA (Workshops for Inclusivity, Difference and Accessibility) programme.
Sue first discovered JIGSAW Thornbury as a parent and is delighted to now be part of the team, supporting other parents and children and young people to feel less alone. As a mum to 18-year-old twin boys, Sue brings personal experience of the challenges and joys that come with neurodiversity – from potty training, limited verbal communication, bullying and meltdowns, to the triumphs of counting the number of words in the sentence my son just said, learning to ride a bike, watching my son take part in his first regatta and seeing my son confidently race around a karting track. Every experience has deepened her understanding and passion for helping families thrive.