Helping Children SHINE to School and Beyond – Working with Children of All Ages From Toddlers to Teens.

info@sunnykidsshine.com
07960 977 359
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Award-Winning Support

Our Feelings Detective® Curriculum

Our award-winning curriculum empowers children to understand, manage, and express their emotions with confidence.

Sunny Kids Shine

Award-Winning Support You Can Trust

Sunny Kids Shine is an award-winning Children’s Mental Health Service. Most recently, winning the Hertfordshire Biz4Biz Awards 2025, presented by BBC’s Chris Hollins. In addition, we were also awarded the Most Dedicated Children’s Mental Health Support Service in both 2022 and 2023 in the GHP Mental Health Awards. These achievements sit alongside our many other award-winning accreditations and professional credentials, including being recognised as one of Netmums’ trusted wellbeing experts.

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Sunny Kids Shine

The Six Phases of Feelings Detective® Curriculum

Our award-winning curriculum takes children on a step-by-step journey to understand, manage, and celebrate their emotions. Along the way, children develop self-awareness and empathy, while also strengthening their emotional intelligence and nurturing qualities. Ultimately, each phase is designed to equip children with lifelong tools to navigate school, friendships, and life with confidence.

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Phase One
We start by getting to know the clues to our feelings and the feelings of others, and thinking about facial expressions, body language, and behaviours - building self-awareness, acceptance, and empathy.
Phase Two
By putting feelings into context, we consider why our feelings may have come to the surface. Importantly, there are no good or bad feelings; however, the thoughts and behaviours we attach to them can be either helpful or unhelpful. Making those feelings bigger or smaller. Through this process, we begin to build healthy habits that help us feel more in control and better able to make healthy choices in the future.

02

Phase Three
This phase is about understanding, making, and maintaining healthy relationships and personal boundaries. At the same time, we begin to build independence through intrinsic motivation, with the understanding that when we feel good on the inside, it shines on the outside. In addition, this session explores how to effectively communicate our thoughts, feelings, wants, needs, and wishes, particularly during conflict.

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04

Phase Four
Is all about exploring our internal feelings volcano, building emotional self-regulation and impulse control.  
Phase Five
Builds nurturing qualities, teaching children how to look after their feelings and the feelings of others. This session builds on social skills, encouraging prosocial behaviours and kindness.

05

Phase Six
The importance of sharing our superpowers and shining our light. This session is all about bringing the elements of learning and building emotional intelligence together, helping children realise that our feelings are just as individual as we are. It's a real celebration of everything that we have learnt to date and all that we are.  

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Why it works
Builds self-awareness, emotional regulation, and social skills
Encourages confidence, connection, and resilience
Supports children, families, and schools to help every child SHINE
Sunny Kids Shine

The Story Behind the Feelings Detective® Curriculum

With over a decade of supporting children with SEMH and SEND in education, our founder, Jodie Smart, witnessed a significant decline in children’s mental well-being.

Since 2017, the number of children with a probable mental health condition has continued to rise steadily. Comparatively, more recent data revealed that more than 78,000 young people waited over a year for NHS CAMHS treatment in 2023/24, representing a 52% increase on the previous year.

Recognising this growing crisis early on, we identified a significant gap in support, which ultimately led to the creation of the Feelings Detective® Curriculum and the launch of Sunny Kids Shine in 2018. 

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Unlike many traditional interventions, which are often delivered outside the classroom and can leave children feeling isolated rather than empowered, our approach is inclusive, accessible, and embedded within everyday learning. At the same time, we recognised that parents are not always actively involved in their children’s mental health support through education, health, or care services, often leaving them feeling disconnected and unsure of how best to help.

That’s why the Feelings Detective® curriculum stands out as a preventative, early-intervention programme delivered through a holistic, joined-up approach. As a result, the programme provides practical tools that help children SHINE through school and beyond, with parents, caregivers and professionals empowered to be their Emotional Champions.

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The Lasting Impact We Make

Over the past two years, we have supported more than 400 families through our one-to-one and small-group programs. Here are the statistics from feedback received during this period:

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89%

Say it improved attendance, learning, and overall school life

91%

Say it improved their relationships with family and friends.

97%

improved mental health, emotional intelligence, and well-being
Our FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Feelings Detective® Curriculum?
Feelings Detective® is an educational programme designed to help children build emotional awareness, regulation, and resilience. It combines techniques from CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with emotional intelligence, social skills, self-love, and kindness. The aim is to help children notice, name, and manage their emotions in an environment where they feel safe, seen, and supported.
2. Who is this programme for?
It’s for young people (toddlers, children, teens) in school, home, or therapeutic settings who would benefit from understanding their emotions better especially children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It’s also universal: useful even for children without identified needs, as a preventative and inclusive tool.
3. What outcomes can families and schools expect?
Improved confidence and self-esteem (≈86%)

Better relationships with family and friends (≈91%)

Improved school life and learning (≈89%)

Children feeling more comfortable talking about their feelings (≈97%)

Fewer overwhelming “BIG feelings,” greater calmness and happiness (≈97%)
4. How is the programme delivered?
It can be delivered one-to-one or in small groups. It works in schools, homes, or other settings. The content is meant to be embedded into everyday environments, not only through standalone sessions.
5. Is this programme evidence-based?
Yes, the curriculum is described as “evidence-informed.” The numbers from feedback over two years show significant positive changes in confidence, emotional regulation, relationships, and ability to talk about feelings.
Sunny Kids Shine

Take the First Step Towards Becoming a Feelings Detective®.

Give your child the tools to understand, manage, and celebrate their emotions. Our award-winning Feelings Detective® curriculum supports children to build confidence, resilience, and emotional intelligence in a fun, engaging, and practical way.

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07960 977 359