Uniting and empowering classmates during lockdown

The closure of schools to most primary schoolchildren during a third national lockdown since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic has, for many, created additional stress and frustration, particularly because of restrictions and the absence of being with friends.  However, we are all learning that although we are physically distant, technology does enable us to be socially connected and that this has positive effects on our wellbeing.

Inner happiness

The Big Think, our personal development programme for children aged 5 to 11, constantly provides participants with experiential leaning opportunities.  The lesson kits gradually enable young citizens to master a range of social and emotional life skills and establish a personal bank of values that will help them flourish as our uncertain world evolves.

Recognising that online learning is challenging, The Big Think team has put together two engaging sets of 45-minute lesson kits (one for ages 5 to 7 and another for ages 7 to 11) suitable for virtual, home and classroom learning.  These multi-media packs have been carefully designed to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of children, teachers, parents and carers.  They offer teachers a simple online format to help bring classmates together in a safe, enjoyable and meaningful way so that the children can be reunited once a week – and all the sessions develop several aspects of the Relationships Education, and Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing topics in the RSHE curriculum that schools must now start teaching.

This special ‘Connecting Classrooms – Values and Wellbeing’ resource, with a training film for facilitators, is available free of charge to schools already subscribing for The Big Think programme but in order to benefit as many children and their teachers as possible, it is available to all other schools for only £25, which includes a  £5 donation to Feeding Britain, an initiative that is helping families at risk of going hungry.

Each of the 2 sets of lesson plans with screens comprises 5 relaxing Silent Sitting mindfulness tracks, 5 stories with questions to prompt discussion and exchange ideas, the My Big Feelings compasses to identify and share feelings, and actions to put into practice before the next session.  The following themes under The Big Think’s 5 core values have been carefully chosen to empower children during lockdown and beyond:

1          COMMUNITY – Kindness to others

2          RESPONSIBILITY – Time well spent

3          TRUTH – Hope and Optimism

4          PEACE – Resilience

5          LOVE – Inner happiness

As the late Sir Ken Robinson said, “Our task is to educate our students’ whole being so they can face the future.”

Visit THE BIG THINK website to get the Connecting Classrooms – Values and Wellbeing lockdown learning programme.