Inside Out 4 Kids

16/10/2026

🌟 Favourite Activity Friday 🌟

This week's favourite activity is the exploding Volcano! 🌋

📍 Where do we use it?
In our Primary Emotional Literacy Program

💡 What does it teach?
Children explore the concept of emotions as energy in the body that, unless we release it, can build up until you explode! Emotional energy eventually finds a way out of our body and when this is hard to control, it can result in behaviour that is not OK.

🌟 Why it works
When we fill the volcano, we tell a story of a child that has lots of little things happen in their day. As these little moments of emotion happen, we add more baking soda to the volcano. At the end of the day, one more little thing happens, and we pour in the vinegar, creating an explosion of emotion!
The visuals make it much easier for children to connect and identify with the story, reflecting on similar situations that might have happened to them. It is easy to think of each little thing happening as a scoop of baking soda in your body, and calming strategies as a way to clear that soda out before we become volcanoes.
And it’s fun!

What might be some safe strategies you could use at home or at school to release some emotional energy?
💛

14/10/2026

🎉 Looking for some FREE school holiday fun tomorrow?

Come and join us at the Rocherlea Family Fun Day! 💛

The IO4K team will be there with giant games featuring an emotional literacy twist! 💬🧱😊

📅 Thursday 15 October
⏰ 11am–1pm
📍 Rocherlea Community Shed

Lots of fun activities for the whole family. Come along and say hello! 👋💛

🎉FREE School Holiday Family Fun Day! 🎉

Bring the whole family for face painting, balloon making, activities, giveaways and a FREE sausage sizzle 🌭

📅Thursday 15th October

⏰11am–1pm

📍Rocherlea Community Shed – huge thank you to the amazing team at Northern Suburbs Community Centre Inc for use of this venue!

Joining us are special guests Rick and Bodhi from Rosie's Reading, Dolly Partons Imagination Library, for a celebrity-read-aloud.

Also joining us with some fun activities will be our lovely service providers CatholicCare Tasmania, Inside Out 4 Kids , Project North, The Salvation Army Launceston, Cancer Council Tasmania, National Joblink, City of Launceston Official, Community Housing Limited and Reclink Australia.

12/10/2026

🧸💛 Amy and PJ loved visiting Scottsdale Primary School last term!

We had a wonderful time sharing our emotional literacy program with the students. A big thank you to Scottsdale Primary School for welcoming us! 🌱

📚 Thinking about bringing Inside Out 4 Kids to your school?
Our Term 4 bookings are FULL, and 2027 is already starting to fill up!
📩 Get in touch soon if you'd love to have IO4K visit your class or school in 2027!

In the meantime, we hope everyone is enjoying their school holidays! ☀️💛

09/10/2026

World Mental Health Day 2026 | 10 October

Real voices. Real change.

This World Mental Health Day, we recognise the importance of lived experience in shaping mental health services, policies and support. Listening is important, but meaningful change happens when people with lived experience are actively involved in decisions that affect their lives.

Let's move beyond hearing stories and create opportunities for co-design, inclusion and action. Together, we can build more person-centred, responsive and compassionate mental health systems.

09/10/2026

🌟 Favourite Activity Friday 🌟

This week's favourite activity is Four Bottles 💛

📍 Where do we use it?
In our Primary Emotional Literacy Program

💡 What does it teach?
Children explore different ways of handling emotional energy and how that may change depending on the situation or place. The Four Bottles are then followed by an exploration of how to release some of the emotional energy in a safe way.

🌟 Why it works
The bottles provide students with a concrete visual to help them understand a somewhat abstract concept. The use of the bottles provides a way for students to identify and talk about how they handle their emotions, and sometimes their family members too!

What sort of bottle do you think you might be? Corked, leaky, bottle-o-pop or sports bottle?
💛

07/10/2026

🌟 Our Term 3 2026 Newsletter is here!

From welcoming a new facilitator to connecting with families through parent workshops and community sessions, Term 3 has been packed with meaningful moments and exciting opportunities. 💙

You'll also get a sneak peek at a creative Children’s Week activity for local children and learn how we're continuing to support parents and carers with practical tools to help children thrive.

05/10/2026

🎉 School holidays are here! 🎉

Looking for something to do with the kids these holidays?

We’re excited to be joining the FREE School Holiday Family Fun Day at Rocherlea Community Shed next Thursday! 💛

Come and find the IO4K team for some giant games with an emotional literacy twist! 🌱 We’ll have Jenga with connection cards 💬🧱 and Four in a Row with emoji faces 😊 A fun way to play, connect and sneak in a little emotional learning along the way.

📅 Thursday 15 October
⏰ 11am–1pm
📍 Rocherlea Community Shed

There’ll be lots more happening too, so check out the original post below for all the details. 👇

We’d love to see you there! 💛

🎉FREE School Holiday Family Fun Day! 🎉

Bring the whole family for face painting, balloon making, activities, giveaways and a FREE sausage sizzle 🌭

📅Thursday 15th October

⏰11am–1pm

📍Rocherlea Community Shed – huge thank you to the amazing team at Northern Suburbs Community Centre Inc for use of this venue!

Joining us are special guests Rick and Bodhi from Rosie's Reading, Dolly Partons Imagination Library, for a celebrity-read-aloud.

Also joining us with some fun activities will be our lovely service providers CatholicCare Tasmania, Inside Out 4 Kids , Project North, The Salvation Army Launceston, Cancer Council Tasmania, National Joblink, City of Launceston Official, Community Housing Limited and Reclink Australia.

02/10/2026

🌟 Favourite Activity Friday 🌟

This week's favourite activity is Glitter Jars 💛

📍 Where do we use it?
Understanding Worry

💡 What does it teach?
Glitter jars are a simple but powerful breathing tool that helps children learn how to calm their minds and bodies. As the glitter slowly settles, children can focus on their breathing and see a visual representation of their emotions settling too.

🌟 Why it works
Glitter jars give children a physical and visual way to understand emotional regulation. When emotions feel big and overwhelming, watching the glitter swirl and gradually settle helps shift their focus away from those feelings and onto something calming.

As children watch the glitter move, they are encouraged to slow their breathing, relax their bodies, and regain a sense of control. Shaking the jar can also provide a safe way to release pent-up energy before taking a moment to pause and reset.

It's a simple activity that is engaging, memorable, and highly effective, making it a favourite with both participants and facilitators alike!

💛✨

29/09/2026

Something colourful is coming for Children’s Week! Got a young artist at home? Our Inside Out 4 Kids team is getting ready to launch the “My Voice, My Story” colouring competition, and we’d love your family to join in! 🎨

From 24 October, children aged 6–12 can get creative for the chance to win prize packs featuring books, games and gift vouchers kindly provided by our City Mission Shops. 🎁

Colouring sheets will be available from participating Mission Shops and Family Services locations when the competition opens, with a download option available too. We’ll share all the entry details closer to the day! 🖍️

Pop 24 October in your calendar and spread the word to a parent, grandparent or carer whose little artist would love to take part. Entries close on 1 November - we can’t wait to see those colourful creations! 💛

28/09/2026

💛 The Pay It Forward High Tea is on again!

Funds raised through this year’s event will directly contribute to City Mission’s Children and Youth Services, including Inside Out 4 Kids.

For our IO4K team, this support helps us continue delivering programs free of charge to schools and families, supporting children to understand their emotions, navigate change, grief and loss, and develop skills they can carry with them beyond our programs. 🌱

All the details, including how to purchase tickets, are in the original post below. 👇

Every child deserves the chance to heal from grief and trauma, understand and express emotions in healthy ways that they will use for the rest of their lives. City Mission’s Inside Out 4 Kids program helps children build resilience, and find hope after experiencing loss.


By joining us at the Pay It Forward High Tea on Friday 23rd October, you’re ensuring this vital service remains free for schools and families who need it most.


Tickets are on sale now: citymission.org.au/pay-it-forward