Oh Lila is a resource for pre-school aged children.

The Oh Lila resource pack does not talk about alcohol or any other substance.

The aim of the pack is to help build resilience and protective factors in young children.

The resource pack is based on the Oh Lila storybook which tells the story of an adventurous young hare who takes a risk and hurts herself. Lila goes through a range of emotions before confiding in her friend Eric the squirrel, who encourages her to seek help from the wise old hare.

The Oh Lila resource supports the exploration of emotions and emphasises the importance of communicating and asking for help from trusted adults.

In the course of their pre-school education, your child may be introduced to Oh Lila. The resource has been developed for use children aged 3 to 5 years and is delivered by trained practitioners.

Oh Lila links to the Curriculum for Excellence, with a focus on health and wellbeing, literacy, and expressive arts.

Oh Lila focuses on 4 key areas:

Asking for help

Oh Lila encourages children to ask for help when they are worried, scared or have a problem. For some children asking for help does not come naturally, they may keep secrets or try to cope alone. In using Oh Lila children are shown that asking for help is a positive behaviour.

Identifying trusted adults

Many children will identify parents, grandparents or other family members as the person they would speak to if they have a problem or are worried. However, some children may not have family support, particularly if they have a difficult home life.

In Oh Lila’s story her friend Eric and the wise old hare provide her with the help she needs. Children will explore who in their world can help them i.e. nursery staff, teachers and other appropriate adults.

Exploring emotions

We all experience emotions from the moment we are born. Using Oh Lila we can help children identify and cope with their feelings and emotions.  Lila experiences a range of emotions in the story including happy, safe, worried, scared, loneliness, anger and shame.

Developing social skills

Good social skills help us communicate and build relationships and friendships. In using the Oh Lila story we can help children to develop their social skills, encouraging them to communicate with others, learn to be part of a team and cope with conflict.