Bear Buddy Bench/Bus Stop 🧸💕🚏

Building our Kindness Classrooms and Schools

Bear’s Buddy Bench/Bear’s Buddy Bus Stop

🧸💕🚏

Have a bench or ‘bus stop’ in your playground, where children can go to if they are feeling lonely, left out, sad etc… and would like/need a ‘friend’ to include them. When I say a ‘friend,’ this does not need to be one of their ‘best friends’ or even their own classmate. In our efforts to create a kindness school - being a friend is about fostering an environment where any child who spots another child looking lonely or upset, will make a natural effort to go check in on them and ask them if they would like to join in with their play/activities and be included.

Sometimes an opening conversation can be difficult, particularly for children who haven’t spoken before or children who are Neurodivergent. Having their ‘inner teddy bear heart’ in their pockets can be a great aid for making that first contact. The approaching ‘friend’ can take their heart out of their pocket and go sit/stand beside the child waiting. This signals to the waiting child that I’m here to bring kindness and that they are in a safe space and can bring out their ‘inner teddy bear heart’ too and start their conversation! 💖

Of course these are strategies that are shared and discussed in your school/ with your class before implementing them. A sudden appearance of a ‘bus stop’ with no idea what it’s there for defeats the purpose! The children may have their own ideas to include, as I never fail to be amazed by their imaginations! This could be part of whole school assembly discussions, if appropriate for your school.

There is also no expectation that your school must invest in expensive benches or bus stops! (Although if your school can afford it or raise money for it - an inviting outdoor seating area would be a welcomed addition! 😉) This could be as simple as using chalk and getting the children to design and draw ‘Bear’s Bus Stop’ on the outside wall of your school. If you’re in a large school, particularly where the playground is split into area for different classes, you may need to create a few.

🧸💕