At the Naval Children’s Charity, we are always looking to provide resources and support that helps children deal with the stress of a parent’s deployment. 

Our picturebooks have worked wonders for our younger cohort, while the Wisdom While You Work notebooks have proven popular with secondary school and college students. 

We wanted to provide targeted support for those aged 7-13. This is a crucial point in a child’s development, where they begin to build relationships and explore their own independence. Navigating these new experiences while missing part of their support system can be unmooring. 

Our new deployment boxes help your child develop the tools to understand their mental health and prompt them to celebrate their relationship with their parents. The box includes: 

• ‘A Better Day, Your Positive Mental Health Handbook’ by The UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr Alex George.
• ‘Happy Confident Me, Daily Journal’, a gratitude and growth mindset journal that boosts children’s happiness, self-esteem, positive thinking, mindfulness and resilience.
• ‘Happy Confident Me Cards’ for the whole family to find new ways to talk, share and discover more about each other.
• A photo album, to keep favourite photos of special times and memories.
• Forget-me-not-seeds.

This box is available to any family with a serving parent of a child aged 7-13. Please reach out to us at [email protected] to find out more. 

For our older children, we’re delighted to offer more ‘Life Chances’. ‘Parallel Histories’ is a programme which teaches the ability to debate; improving a student’s communication and social skills while boosting confidence and expanding their world view. 

The programme, which is available to all Naval children between the ages of 12-16, is completely free, and ends with a special trip to visit the House of Commons. Those aged between 18-25 are also welcome to apply to become debate mentors; an invaluable experience for those young people considering a career in education. Please email Sarah at Parallel Histories, to learn more about this wonderful opportunity. 

For the adventurous children out there, places are still available on our subsidised voyages offered in partnership with The Tall Ships Youth Trust. These journeys proved very popular with last year’s cohort, with several of our participants continuing their sailing careers as a result of their experience. Visit our website to find out more. 

Finally, we’d like to thank everyone who sent their fantastic crown designs in our Coronation competition. We were inundated with entries; some of your efforts wouldn’t have looked out of place on the head of His Majesty King Charles III himself. You can view a collage of our favourite creations on our Facebook or Instagram page.