As the summer holidays draw to a close, children and teachers are starting to look ahead to the new school year with the usual mix of anticipation, excitement and a certain amount of nerves! It’s a lovely chance for everyone to make a fresh start and the air of positivity and possibility is often palpable.
Many teachers will be taking the opportunity to establish clear rules and guidelines on the first day back. While this is an important and worthwhile activity, I believe that we can also use this first day as an opportunity to show our students that we care about them and value them as part of the school community. This sense of belonging and connectedness is one of the most important things we can give to our students. Research shows that feeling this sense of belonging and connection to school is one of the most powerful contributing factors to their well-being and also their academic achievement.[1]
With this in in mind, I have been thinking of ways to nurture a sense of care and belonging from day one when I return to school. I plan to do the following four activities which I hope will help to make a positive start. They are straightforward and should be possible to do with children from second class up.
1. Letter to my teacher
Ask the children to write you a short letter about themselves. Explain to them that you really want to get to know them so that you can understand them and help them as much as possible in the year ahead. You could give them a list of headings which can include things like family, hobbies, personality, likes and dislikes, worries, concerns, what they are looking forward to and so on. I usually tell my class to use this as an opportunity to let me know all the things that they would like me to know about them. These letters give me great insight into the minds and lives of the children and I often learn lots of little things about them which I don’t think would ever have the chance to find out in the busy classroom environment. Their level of insight and openness always amazes me. You can follow up in the weeks ahead with a short chat with each child in which you thank them for sharing with you and reassure them about any concerns or worries which they outlined.
2. Parent Questionnaire
This isn’t an activity I have tried before but I think it could be a great way to establish an early and positive relationship with parents. It also sends the children the message that you care about them and want to work with their parents to ensure they have the best year possible. The questionnaire can ask parents to outline their child’s strengths and their hopes for their child for the year ahead. You can also ask them to share any other information about their child which they feel will be of benefit to you in helping their child to settle in and reach their potential.
3. Birthday Cards
I’ve done this activity on the first day back for the last few years and the children really enjoy it. It also provides a lovely sense of support, belonging and community. Give each child a piece of A4 card and ask them fold it and design a generic birthday card which would be suitable for anybody in the class. Brainstorm ideas for appropriate designs. The children should write the words ‘To _______, Happy Birthday from all your friends in Room_______. They can write the words ‘Designed by ___’ on the back. Collect all of the cards and keep them in a gift bag which you can display in a prominent position in the classroom. On their birthday, each child can then do a ‘lucky dip’ from the bag and take a card which you can then fill their name in on. The children really love choosing their cards and the designer also feels a great sense of pride when their card is chosen!
4. Well-Being Declaration
I heard about this idea during the summer and I can’t wait to do it on my first day back. So in addition to outlining the Classroom Rules, I will also display and discuss my Well-Being Declaration which will give me the chance to send the children some powerful messages which otherwise might go unsaid. I plan to discuss and explain the word ‘declaration’ first and we will also have a general discussion about what well-being means to the children. I have thought long and hard about my declaration and come up with the following:
Dear Students
You belong here.
I care about you.
You can succeed.
I want to help you to feel strong in your mind and body.
I want this classroom to be a happy place of learning for everybody.
Signed…….
I’m hoping that these activities will help to foster belonging, care and connection from day one of my new school year. The declaration will also serve as a useful reminder to me that I need to walk the walk in terms of my own classroom practices too! Good luck to everybody for the year ahead, let’s aim to thrive and not just survive!
[1] Tough, P. (2016) Helping Children Succeed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt