Buddy Bench Aware Programme 7yrs - 9yrs

Churchhill NS Kilkenn

Buddy Bench Aware 7yrs - 9yrs

The school environment can be very stressful; in addition to any issues children bring from home, many struggle with a sense of their own difference and start to feel pressure to perform well in class.

Exclusion, isolation or fears of being left behind are very painful for any child, so we have built our Buddy Bench Aware Program around teaching self-awareness, friendship, empathy and self-expression, using the Buddy Bench as a visual aid.

The Workshop

"Look Up, Look Around and Look Out for Each Other”

Emotions v Feelings

What do emotions feel like and look like?

How can you tell what you’re feeling?

All people have feelings. Feelings help us learn about ourselves and others. All emotions are natural, so kids shouldn’t feel bad about experiencing them.

Through role play, our teaching story, discussion and self-awareness exercises, our facilitators help children reflect on their emotions, which sometimes feel overwhelming, and give simple tools for changing their relationship to their feelings.  We teach them to cultivate a kinder attitude to themselves and each other, demonstrating differences in body language, and cultivating skills for mutually supportive communication.

Learning to strengthen attention and regulate emotions are foundational skills that could benefit children in school and throughout their whole lives.

Each child receives a copy of our beautifully illustrated interactive workbook featuring teaching story and creative activities that give opportunities for developing a vocabulary around feelings, and a positive attitude about asking for help.

You can read along and join in the questions too!

The feedback from our programmes is very promising – we are currently completing an evaluation with the Mental Health Social Research Unit at NUI Maynooth. According to teachers’ ratings, children show more empathy and kindness and a greater ability to calm themselves down when they feel upset. Their social and emotional development has improved, the children showed improvement in the ability to think flexibly, and had cultivated the life skills that have been linked to health and success in later life.

You are our Heros

Combined with the Buddy Bench as a visual tool in times of distress, the children were able to find comfort and support through each other rather than feeling upset and worried. It’s these small changes, spread across classrooms, that could make society more kind—and educate a new generation of more compassionate and connected adults.

To book us to come to your school and deliver any of our programmes email:hello@buddybench.ie

or call us on (0560 7702027