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This Mental Health Awareness Week, the UK’s leading nursery group, Busy Bees is proving there is no happier sound than children’s laughter with the launch of its nationwide Giggle-A-Thon in aid of its charity partner BBC Children in Need.
The Busy Bees Giggle-A-Thon will see 40,000 babies, children and staff at more than 350 nurseries up and down the country raise money for Children in Need with their laughs, giggles and chortles.
Children and staff at one Busy Bees centre had the chance to give some extra special guests the giggles, in the shape of BBC Children in Need’s Pudsey Bear and the five-time chart topping comedy duo, LadBaby, who joined in the fun.
The duo, whose break-through hit was entitled ‘We Built This City on Sausage Rolls’ were treated to hilarious performances of ‘Old McDonald had a Space Station’, ‘The Bananas on the Bus’ and ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Potatoes’ by the staff and children at their local Busy Bees nursery in Nottingham City Hospital.
Children and staff played funny games, got creative, and had laugh-out-loud story times, choosing only the funniest books from the bookshelf such as John Burningham’s Would You Rather, You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus by Patricia Cleveland-Peck and Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman.
In addition to raising funds through sponsorship by friends and family, the Busy Bees Giggle-A-Thon promotes the importance of laughter every day for children’s positive mental wellbeing – something which is a key Part of Busy Bees’s Bee Curious curriculum and its personal, social and emotional development programme, designed to support children’s emotional wellbeing.
Every three minutes a child is referred to mental health services for anxiety in England, with 1 in 5 children now facing a mental health issue. Research shows that laughter is more than just creating joy and happiness, it supports children's cognitive and emotional development, encouraging them to regulate their emotions and ultimately leads to happier and healthier children.
Jenny Shaw, Academic Lead at Busy Bees, said: “We believe all babies and pre-schoolers should be happy, curious and have days filled with laughter, so what better idea than to raise funds and awareness than by laughing as much as possible. Our Bee Curious curriculum is underpinned by scientific research that prepares children for a lifetime of joyful learning, having LadBaby bring their brand of silliness and joy has shown us all how wonderful and contagious children’s laughter is.
“We’re proud to be supporting Children in Need and shine a light on the importance of mental wellbeing in early years. Together, we’re helping to lift the emotional load for children and families by supporting vital services. If we can put smiles on lots of faces and get as many people as possible to donate what they can, we’ll have succeeded.”
Claire Hoyle, Director of Income Generation and Engagement at BBC Children in Need said: “The Busy Bees Giggle-A-Thon is a wonderful initiative that not only raises vital funds but also highlights the importance of happiness and emotional support for young children. We are thrilled to see so many children and staff coming together to giggle for a good cause.”
Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, of LadBaby said: “Our channel was created with one simple goal in mind - to make people laugh and have fun! It’s amazing to be part of such a fantastic cause, using humour to bring joy to children while also fundraising”.
To support the children taking part in the Giggle-A-Thon click here.
