25+ Ways Your PTO Can Support Student Mental Health

If there was ever a time for your PTO to step up to support the mental health of students at school, it's now. 

Kids today are carrying heavier worries than ever before. Between active shooter drills, a steady stream of unsettling news, rising political tensions, the pressures of social media, the risks of online chat communities—where vulnerable kids can be easily influenced—and navigating new technology like ChatGPT (whew), it’s no wonder student mental health has become a top concern for families and schools. 

The good news? PTO and PTA groups are in a unique position to help. By creating welcoming spaces and incorporating ideas and programs that put student well-being first, your group can play a meaningful role in helping kids feel more connected, resilient, and cared for at school. Below, we round up ideas from our community that you can introduce at your school right away. A few helpful tips: partner with your school's counselors to strengthen these efforts and to learn about school-approved resources, and consider creating a "student spirit" or "student mental health" committee that's dedicated to regularly boosting student wellbeing throughout the year. 

💭 Have an idea that's worked at your school that you want to share? Tag us on social @ptotoday and you just might see it here!

How PTOs Can Support Student Mental Health

PTOs don’t need to be experts in counseling or psychology to make a difference—sometimes it’s the simple, everyday efforts that matter most. Here are 25+ ways your parent group can support mental health in your school community.

Promote IRL connection within the school community

• Host fun family events at the school that encourage "real world" connection with peers and other families. Build in fun icebreakers and group activities so that shy or socially isolated kids feel welcomed and included, not left on the sidelines. Unplugged events, like a family board game night, family recess night, or dodgeball in the gym, give families the chance to connect face-to-face and build relationships in a relaxed atmosphere.
• Develop peer mentoring opportunities for students. For example, a buddy program that pairs older students with younger students for check-ins, reading, or social support on the playground, or socially confident peers with quieter students to help them make social connections. PTOs can fund snacks, materials, or recognition for mentors.  
• Set up a "Conversation Cart" in the hallway. When Kelsey Davis (@LoosliLearning on Instagram) noticed students staring at floor or their phones, she decided to do something up it and created a conversation cart outside her classroom to get kids looking up, making eye contact, and practicing real social skills. Every day the cart has a different activity—pop culture trivia with rubber ducks, quick polls with a bell, or other small surprises that keep students on their toes. She also shares that students love it so much that they often volunteer to run the cart themselves! 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kelsey Davis • LoosliLearning (@looslilearning)

• Programs like “Watch D.O.G.S.” and "Door Dads" have shown how powerful a caring adult presence can be in schools—but you don’t have to be a dad to make an impact! By welcoming all caregivers—parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, or other trusted adults—as part of a "Dare to Care" program, PTOs can create a safe, supportive environment where students feel seen and supported. These volunteer caregivers can help supervise the playground, play board games at recess, assist in classrooms, or simply be a friendly presence (like giving high fives and fist bumps at morning drop-off) to show every student that they have a mentor in their corner.

• Start traditions that help build a sense of community at school, like “Kindness Week”, regular social meet-ups (like "popsicles in the park"), a Student Appreciation Station on World Smile Day (October 3), and a "You Matter" student clap-in on World Mental Health Day (October 10).
• Lunch or recess buddies: Coordinate small groups or paired seating so students who are shy or feel isolated have a structured way to connect.
• Have volunteers coordinate structured recess games like scavenger hunts or team challenges that students can participate in.
• Friendship challenges: Provide prompts that encourage kids to reach out to someone new. This can be done weekly or monthly, or during a Kindness Week.
• Facilitate an after school game club to help students connect and develop healthy friendships by playing card games and board games. Other interest-based club ideas include art, coding, chess, gardening, and creative writing. After school clubs are great for bringing together students with similar interests.
• Invite former students, local professionals, or community leaders to spend time with students—whether it’s a classroom visit or an after school session. Hearing how others turned challenges into opportunities (or passions into careers) gives kids positive examples to look up to, helping them imagine what’s possible for their own future.

• Volunteering boosts self-esteem and builds connection, so encourage opportunities where students can get involved to support the greater good! Student-led service projects like food drives, coat collections, or school campus clean-up days give kids a chance to work together toward a shared goal. Your PTO can also invite students to serve as event helpers, "tech support", or kindness captains during school activities.
• Start a Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program with the goal of fostering human connection, community, and hope. How to start a Hope Squad at your school

• "No phones, new friends Friday" will be your school's favorite new tradition (we hope, anyway!). This movement is designed to help students unplug and, well, make new friends at lunchtime and have real, face-to-face conversations.

• Start an after-school culture club to give students the chance to learn about different traditions, foods, languages, and celebrations. Kids feel proud sharing their own backgrounds, while peers gain appreciation for cultures beyond their own. It’s a fun, hands-on way to build self-esteem, confidence, respect, and stronger connections across the school community.

Incorporate mindfulness 

• Create a "Zen Zone" (a calm corner or a room in a quiet area of the school) where students can go to reset or decompress. Use soft lighting, beanbag chairs, Yoga mats, and sensory tools. Have guided meditations and calming music available for students to listen to. 
• Bring in therapy dogs for students to read to or to visit with students during lunch time. Some PTOs have created programs that encourage students to read to cats and dogs at the local animal shelter on weekends. 
• Create mindfulness kits for classrooms. Work with teachers to provide tools like a Zentangle, breathing cards, conversation starters, Calm Strips, yoga mats, stress balls, Play-Doh, coloring sheets and gel pens, mini canvas paint kits, and puzzles.
• Work with admin to implement wellness breaks throughout the year. For example, have a 5-minute “stretch and breathe” sessions during school testing weeks.
• Curate free services for teachers and students from companies like Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer.
• Offer yoga or meditation minutes during lunch a few days a week. Incorporate a "mindfulness moment" during morning announcements.
• Encourage students to share "the best part of their day" (check out the video below!)

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Nardin Academy (@nardinacademy)

Help students build self-esteem and a positive self image

• Create a “Wall of Awesome” where every student contributes something they’re proud of. Turn it into a full-on "Positivity Week", like Oceanside High School did (below), and encourage students to write down their positive attributes.

• Create a "Positivity Wall" full of fun, inspirational notes for students. Invite students to "take what they need" if they find a note that speaks to them.

• Set up a positive affirmation mirror (or affirmation station) in classrooms or in a central area in the school to foster a growth mindset. Post uplifting messages on or around mirrors for students to read each day, like “I am capable”, "I can do hard things", and "I am smart and strong" for a daily dose of positivity.

• Provide students with bookmarks or bracelets featuring positive affirmations. Celebrate "National Day of Encouragement" on September 12 by displaying encouraging messages on student lockers.

• Recognize kindness regularly. Shift recognition beyond academics and athletics and celebrate things like empathy, teamwork, or perseverance.
• Give students leadership roles - and invite them to join the PTO (seriously!). Start a Junior PTO/A and invite students to your meeting as a committee that comes up with ideas to boost student well-being. You may be surprised at the great ideas kids come up with!
• Partner with a local barber to provide free back-to-school haircuts for students.

• Decorate the restroom stalls or mirrors with messages of positivity. Check out these restroom stall decals (Etsy) featuring affirmations like "Start your day with a smile" and "Never let anyone dull your sparkle".
• Bring in a special visitor to teach students about the importance of sleep, healthy foods, and exercise. 

• Lunchbox love notes: surprise students with Lunchbox Love Notes (inspirational notes) on their cafeteria trays.

Educate and empower families 

• Host parent workshops or info sessions with local psychologists and mental health professionals to help families better understand stress, the impact of social media, coping with anxiety/executive functioning, and ways to support kids at home and through stressful news events. These free sessions can be held as standalone events, or tagged onto PTO meetings. (And remember, May is Mental Health Awareness Month.) 

• Curate a list of vetted books, podcasts, and local counseling resources as a resource library for parents and share on your PTO website, social media, and at PTO meetings. ParentGuidance.org offers videos, webinars, and live virtual sessions with a licensed family therapist.
• Give parents tools they can use to kickstart conversations with their kids. These can be flyers sent home via backpack express, or fridge magnets with prompts families can use to talk about feelings and stress in age-appropriate ways after school and during dinner. Your PTO can also post a daily conversation prompt on social media for families to use after school or over dinner.
• Organize a mental health fair for your school where families can learn about local mental health resources and programs available to them. Set up interactive stations, like Yoga and breathing demos, art and music therapy, healthy foods and drinks to taste test, sensory play, and stress ball making. 
• Partner with a local mental health therapist to start an after school mental health club where students can develop healthy coping skills, learn about feelings and emotions, and make their own calming tools.
• Schedule a movie night showing of a film like Angst for teachers, parents and students to raise awareness of anxiety. Teachers and parents will learn the signs to look out for, and kids will learn that anxiety doesn't define them. 
• Schedule an antibullying assembly to remind kids the importance of being kind, respecting others, and loving yourself. Check out our list of 15+ antibullying assemblies for schools 

Regularly celebrate students to make them feel valued, and encourage a culture of gratitude 

• World Mental Health Day is October 10. Marsteller Middle School PTO (featured below) organized an ambush to start the day with positivity and acceptance and gave high fives, hugs, and fist bumps to students and teachers! Hand out "You Matter" cups, positive vibes rubber bracelets, stickers with positive messages that students can stick to their water bottles.

• Hold a "Student Appreciation Week" or "Student Appreciation Days" to make every student feel like they are celebrated and loved at school. South Jones Elementary School encouraged students to write "The Best Part of Me" - what they love about themselves they love and why it’s meaningful to them. Their thoughtful reflections were then put on display at the school to celebrate the unique qualities that make each student one of a kind!

• Let students know you're thinking of them during testing week, when stress can come in hot and heavy. Hand out "Smarties" or cookies with a "One Smart Cookie" tag.
• Hold a dance party in between classes, or every Friday (Dance Party Fridays) to lift student spirits, bring on the smiles, and foster positive interactions between students and staff. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Lakota Local Schools (@lakota_district)

• Celebrate student attendance with an "Attendance Spirit Week".

Check out: Fun Ideas to Boost Student Morale All Year Long

Support the basic needs of students while ensuring equity and inclusion

• Start a Care Closet (also called a Hygiene Closet or "Take What You Need" station). When students don’t have to worry about essentials like clean clothes, hygiene products, or school supplies, they’re able to focus and feel confident at school. Request donations from families in your community for things like extra clothing (including underwear, leggings and socks), school supplies, and toiletries, like shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash, laundry detergent, pads, razors, toothbrushes and toothpaste (ask your local dentist), brushes/combs, and hair ties. Tips: Consider requesting gently worn Halloween costumes ahead of Halloween season. When it comes to requesting donations, check with your Kiwanis Club or Rotary, and post in your town's Facebook group as well. And, let your school guidance counselor handle distribution to families for privacy.

@mrsarensberg4th Replying to @mellykb1 an idea of what’s in the care closet and why! It changes from time to time based in donations, but most of these items are on a regular rotation! #teacher #teachers #mrsarensberg #carecloset #care #selfcare #hygiene #careitems #closet #careclosetteacher #careclosetproduct ♬ original sound - Mrs. Arensberg

• Partner with local organizations to provide weekend snack packs or grocery gift cards for families in need.
• Create emergency kits (or comfort kits) for students that include hygiene and care items like toothbrushes, deodorant, hairbrushes, and socks for students who might need them during the day.
• Partner with your local cosmetology school (or a willing barbershop) to give students free hair cuts ahead of school picture day so that everyone feels their best in school photos.

• Hold a costume drive. Encourage families to donate costumes that are now too small and could make a new family’s Halloween special. 
• Ensure no child is left out of anything and included regardless of financial circumstances. Programs like care closets, school holiday shops, or supply drives can be structured so every child has access without stigma. PTOs can work with school counselors and teachers to cover costs discreetly, ensuring all students can participate in every activity without worry or judgement. Your PTO can also request donations from local businesses and others in your community that don't have children in the school - you'll be surprised at how many want to help when asked!

Regularly show staff support

Teachers and staff feel the stress, too. Simple gestures can lift spirits—and their positivity passes on to students.

• "Wellness Wednesday": Treat staff to fresh fruit, coffee, or healthy snacks midweek.
• Sunshine Carts: Similar to the idea above, a sunshine cart is a regular opportunity for your PTO to deliver treats (via a treat trolley) to teachers to lift their spirits.
• Ask teachers to share what they need, and find out what time of day is most stressful for them so that your PTO can step in. For example, offer STEM or busy bins to keep kids occupied in the morning. If "paperwork" is what they need help with, set up a volunteer "copy crew" to help make photocopies.  
• Leave relaxation items for teachers in the lounge, like essential oils, tea, or mini journals for self-care.
• Stock the staff restrooms with thoughtful items that teachers may have left at home and need in a pinch.
• Feeling safe is a key part of student well-being, and PTOs can help strengthen those connections by recognizing the role of school resource officers. On National School Resource Officer Day (February 15), organize a small thank you event where students share notes or artwork showing appreciation. Invite the SRO to speak at a school assembly about safety, kindness, or making good choices, showing students that officers are mentors, not just authority figures.

• Positive Post-it Notes or postcards: Encourage families and admin to write quick notes of encouragement to staff, helping them feel seen and valued. 
• Set up a card share station where teachers can grab a blank card and a pen to write a note of gratitude or encouragement for other staff members. Everything you'll need for a teacher card share station
• Use bulletin board space in the teachers' lounge for a "Take what you need and/or leave a note to inspire another".
• Choose a teacher each Friday to get "GOOSED" (Get Out of School Early). Teachers are nominated by peers and admin to pack up early on a Friday to get a head start on their weekend! 

Celebrate and encourage kindness, empathy, gratitude and positivity

• Gratitude is tied to mental health. Create a culture of gratitude by setting up a writing station or a gratitude box where students can reflect on what (or who) they're thankful for and submit anonymous notes. Read a few each day during morning announcements.

• Work with your wellness coach or school counselor to set up a school appreciation station and invite students to share a kind word or a note of gratitude with peers and staff.

• "Feel Good Friday": Deliver notes of love and appreciation from students to staff members. Set up an in-school appreciation station where students can write notes all week. Notes are then delivered on Friday to staff.
• Create a kindness tree. Set up a bulletin board where students can post notes recognizing peers who have shown kindness. 
• Monthly “Kind Kid” award: Recognize students (nominated by classmates or teachers) who go out of their way to help others by showing empathy and inclusiveness. A small prize, certificate, and a shout-out go a long way and reinforce that positive social behavior is just as important as academics.
• "Caught Being Kind" program: Print stickers or bracelets that read "Kind Kid", and provide to staff (along with certificates) to reward students for random acts of kindness. 
• Set up a friendship wall or compliment board where students can post positive notes about peers.
• Make service projects a regular part of your PTO's calendar. Organize opportunities for students to help others, like canned food drives, cereal drives, letter-writing for nursing homes, coat and shoe drives, and school clean-up days—turning kindness into action.
• Facilitate a buddy bench for students to use at recess. 
• Create a "kindness rocks" garden. 
• Line the entryway to school (or the student parking lot, if you're a high school) with yard signs featuring messages of positivity and encouragement.

Check out 24+ ways to encourage kindness at school 

At the end of the day, supporting student mental health doesn’t have to be complicated. Small, consistent efforts from PTOs and PTAs—whether that’s creating moments of calm, fostering peer connections, or simply reminding kids they’re not alone—can have a big ripple effect. When school parent groups step in to champion wellness, they not only help students manage today’s stresses, but also strengthen the school community as a whole.

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