Donna Ashworth Writing Workshop

Pre-recorded Writing/Poetry Workshop

Age Groups:Suitable for Key Stage 1 and 2 (children aged approx 5-11)
Length: Approx 45 minutes (this includes 12 minutes of viewing time plus a suggested 30 minutes to complete the Writing Activity)
Format: The recording can be watched on Vimeo and the activity sheet is available as a PDF download.

The School of Kindness has teamed up with our talented patron, Donna Ashworth, to bring you this very special Writing Workshop. It is a free 45 minute poetry lesson...but it is so much more than that! Donna is a bestselling author and poet known for turning big feelings into beautiful, relatable words. Her poems speak straight to the heart and have touched people all over the world. 

In this workshop, we will help children explore how writing can be a powerful tool to express their feelings and emotions. Hosted by our Director of Kindness Greig Trout and Donna, the workshop encourages children to use their own voices and imaginations in a supportive, creative environment. Through poetry readings from Donna's new book, discussions, and a guided writing activity, children will learn that there’s no wrong way to write poetry and that their feelings and words truly matter.

Workshop Content:  

• Introduction - Meet Greig and Donna, who talk about the aim of the workshop and how writing can help us to express our emotions and be kind to ourselves.
• Poetry reading - Donna shares why she started writing and reads 'Messy Threads' 
• Introducing the Writing Activity - Greig introduces the Writing Activity, where children create their own poem about a feeling, using our worksheet. The Writing Activity is inspired by Donna's poem 'What is Happy?' Donna gives tips on how to let your creativity flow and reads the example poem 'What is Happy?' 
• Offline writing time - children do the Writing Activity in their classroom.
• Wrap-up discussion - Greig reflects on how writing can help manage emotions.
• Final poetry reading - Donna reads 'Youier.'

Learning Outcomes: 
The workshop aims to help children...

• Recognise writing as a powerful tool for self-expression and emotional wellbeing.
• Understand that writing is a safe space to explore and process emotions, helping with mental health and self-regulation.
• Build confidence in expressing ideas and feelings through writing, regardless of spelling or grammar.
• Experience the calming and mindful benefits of creative writing for wellbeing.
• Discover how sharing words and stories can strengthen empathy and connection with others.

Resources Needed:
Video and printable Writing Activity sheet: The links to these will be emailed to you after you submit the booking form.

About Donna:
Donna Ashworth is a bestselling poet known for turning big feelings into beautiful, relatable words. Her poems speak straight to the heart and have touched people all over the world—children and adults alike. Donna believes that poetry shouldn’t be complicated or only for certain people; it’s for everyone! She writes in a way that makes poetry feel like a friend—something that can comfort you, cheer you up, or help you feel understood. In this workshop, Donna shares how writing helped her when she was younger and how poetry can be a fun, calming way for anyone to explore and express their feelings. Through her warm, down-to-earth approach, she makes poetry feel easy and welcoming, so every child feels inspired to have a go!

About the School of Kindness:
The School of Kindness aims to spread kindness and empower children by helping them to realise that the little choices they make every day have the power to change people’s lives, improve their own health and well-being, and ultimately change the world. We run free Kindness Workshops and assemblies for more than 200,000 primary children every year, we have a a Kindness Ambassador Programme and we provide free teaching resources. We are part of the 52 Lives kindness charity.