What We Do
Peer Play! is a free monthly support and networking group for children whose families are coping with long-term mental illness. Our mission is to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for children aged 4-11 who have parents, carers, siblings or family members that struggle with their mental health. Through engaging and creative play activities, such as art, music, games and stories, we aim to create a space where children can make meaningful interactions and connect with peers who share similar experiences, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding. By offering a safe, fun and empathetic community, we help children navigate their challenges with resilience and compassion, promoting emotional well-being and reducing feelings of isolation.
Activities on offer are:
Art - drawing, painting, colouring in, model making
Music - range of age friendly instruments for individual or group play
Play - dress up, role play toys, Lego, board games, story books
Each session is supervised by a mixture of experienced youth arts workers, play therapists and volunteers. All of our workers have enhanced DBS certificates. During each session we encourage children to try and create something that they can share with the group at the end. This can be as simple as a drawing, or more complex like learning something new on an instrument, anything they can be proud of!
In the interest of keeping Peer Play! a child focused environment we must ask that children do not attend with the family member suffering from illness.
Please be aware that this group:
is NOT for children who are experiencing mental health issues of their own
we do NOT operate a 'drop off' policy, children must attend with a supervising adult for the entire session
There are teas, coffees and soft drinks available for a small donation.
