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…From a student on placement’s perspective
If you feel your child or a child you know could benefit from some extra support during school hours, Sowers are available with registered and experienced social workers to facilitate school groups which are non-threatening, educational and supportive. The quiet casualties of the increase in stress, cost of living, compounded by all the global disruption in recent years… are often the children, and parents may be under too much pressure to address these needs, or feel inadequate to do so. Reach out!
Parents and/or the school may identify children who could benefit from developing some awareness and self-management skills around emotions and anxiety, or parents can approach the school if they feel their child would suit these sessions. Sowers can tailor the course to suit specific needs, or run general life skills sessions. A time (once a week for an hour) will be allocated and a room where Belinda from Sowers can run the sessions, in blocks of one term per group of children.
The following was the loose plan we followed with a local primary school group I was able to join Belinda for. This was a delightful group of six children whose personal issues were not disclosed to us, but who were referred to this group for whatever reason. They were all cooperative and friendly children who were kind to one another and respectful towards us. (Note; it was on a school term basis but there were eight sessions due to public holidays).
The first week involved introduction type activities and worksheets. Chatting in pairs and feeding back to the group helped develop a sense of safety for the children, increasing confidence and building trust. The second week we began exploring different feelings and identifying body’s ‘signals’. The role of the ámygdala’ was talked about and a child friendly book about it was read to them.
On week three the children refreshed what they had learnt about the amygdala and drew their own version of theirs, plus a worksheet with a body outline to write in where certain physical signs take place, eg. ‘butterflies’ in the stomach. Week four saw us bring ‘strength cards’ with various and diverse strengths for the children to identify in themselves. They wrote them down and we typed them up to return to each child on a certificate.
On the fifth week we discussed various facets of health – physical/emotional/spiritual and social, using a New Zealand developed model ‘Te Whare Tapa Wha’, and on week six we looked at a list of a hundred calming strategies, played charades with them and tried many of them, including making a ‘stress-ball’. On the seventh week the children completed an A4 sheet in a grid of six with their top six ‘calming strategies’. We will laminate these and return them to the children on the final session.
Each session ends with a short game like ‘4 corners’. This may seem a trivial activity but can be a powerful medium for practising ‘real life’ skills around losing well, and winning well, in a safe space.
All in all, I see these sessions helping develop relationship skills, build self-esteem and strengthens that critical factor of resilience. Ask your school about enquiring of Sowers if you feel this could be beneficial to your community.