Loose Parts Play – A Guide for Teachers

What Is Loose Parts Play?

Loose parts are natural and human-made objects that can be carried, moved, stacked, combined or taken apart by learners as part of their imaginative and creative play. Through construction and combining a range of materials, learners can use their brain and hands to think, imagine, solve problems and play creatively. Free play with loose parts provides a wide range of developmental opportunities – enhancing skills such as communication, teamwork, risk assessment and both gross and fine motor skills.

Loose Parts Play Theory was first developed in the 1970s by Simon Nicholson, an architect. He suggested that children should be provided with materials and objects that can be carried, transported, combined, stacked, dismantled and reused; and given time to explore, experiment and create using them without adult direction or instruction.
He theorised that this would provide children with opportunities to develop their imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills. 

In modern educational settings, loose parts play is a commonly heard term and many environments include loose parts play without labelling it as such. Activities using building blocks, junk materials to create models and counting using small objects such as buttons are all examples of loose parts play.

pixabay.com

How Does Loose Parts Play Support Child Development?

While some consider play to have little place in educational settings beyond nursery, academic studies overwhelmingly support the idea that play provides many benefits for learners in terms of their development.

One of the biggest benefits of loose parts play is the opportunity for learners to develop strong creative skills. Whilst many toys have a fixed purpose, the beauty of loose parts is that they provide endless imaginative play possibilities. A loose part can become whatever the learner says it is. A row of stacked stones can be a wall, a pine cone can be a person and a den made with piping and blankets can be a house. Play using loose parts is entirely open ended and with no rules to follow beyond basic safety, learners are free to engage with them however they choose. Developing imagination skills like this makes being creative in other contexts easier and in turn helps improve problem-solving skills required for curricular areas such as Science or Mathematics.

Loose parts play also provides opportunities for learners to build their interpersonal skills, including teamwork, communication and compromise. Using a shared set of resources involves countless opportunities for learners to interact with each other through discussions and negotiations. Even for those who choose to play independently initially, you will often find that the curiosity of other learners leads to interactions that then provide collaboration to further develop the play or materials being used. Fun is very contagious and as soon as one learner seems to be enjoying themselves, others will quickly want to join in.

Additionally, learners have opportunities to develop motor skills thanks to the play materials having a wide variety of shapes and sizes. It’s recommended that learners have the opportunity to choose from a broad range of both natural and human-made materials such as pine cones, pots, tyres, planks of wood and more. These provide the chance to stack, build, transport, carry and balance different shapes or weights which in turn means that learners can build their gross and fine motor skills. This is particularly important when you consider the availability of digital entertainment, as many learners will now prefer screen time to more active play. 

Loose parts also provide opportunities for risky play. Developing an understanding of what is safe and what isn’t is an exceptionally important learning experience for young people. Before engaging with loose parts play, practitioners should ensure that resources are safe to be used by removing any hazards such as badly splintered wood, sharp edges or weaknesses. You should also discuss what is safe to do and what is not safe, providing the learners with age-appropriate examples and information on what they should do if they think something is unsafe or if somebody gets hurt. Beyond this though, learners should be free to experiment in a way that explores safe boundaries. Having the opportunity to build and test bridges or shelters provides learners the chance to understand which materials are strong enough for activities like this as well as whether or not they’ll be stable enough to function. Whilst our first reaction may be to stop a learner considering a risky move, you could use the opportunity to engage them in risk assessing through questioning and discussion. 

shutterstock.com

Isn’t Loose Parts Play Just for Early Level Learners?

Whilst many people consider learning through play a vital part of most Early Level and some First Level learning environments, it’s often the case that very little time is dedicated to play in Second Level and beyond. However, there is little evidence to suggest that play would not benefit our older learners. Anecdotally, the impact of imaginative play on older learners can be just as significant. 

Whilst working with Second Level learners, I was lucky enough to receive an hour per week block of loose parts play enabled by a local charity who provided all the equipment we needed. Whilst some learners took a little encouragement, by the end of our 8-week block all of my class adored their loose parts play time. Learners who found social interactions challenging had blossomed into confident young people who could connect with others through the various games they created. The beginnings of new friendships emerged and the widest grins I’ve ever seen could be found on nearly all of their faces.

Admittedly, this is only one instance showing benefits for older learners, but I often feel we forget that our Second Level learners are still children despite being the ‘grown-up ones’ in a primary school environment. Some of these learners might never experience play in this way, preferring instead to use games consoles or other digital technologies. We owe it to them to provide new environments to learn in, and loose parts play can be exactly that.

shutterstock.com

How Can I Incorporate Loose Parts Play Into Our Learning?

Like the idea of introducing loose parts play but not sure how to go about it? We’ve got you covered.

Pretty early on you will want to conduct a review of what loose-parts you already have available and what space you have for play. Auditing what equipment and space you have will allow you to see how practical it will be to start loose parts play sessions – you may need to look into sourcing further materials to really enable the play. You might have all the loose parts you need, but you also need a safe space for outdoor play. Concrete playgrounds and grassy spaces are both suitable for play, but ideally you would have access to both to allow the learners to explore fully. 

You will also want to conduct a risk benefit assessment to analyse what could go wrong and how you can minimise that risk. However, by completing a risk benefit assessment you will also be able to identify what learners can gain from risky play. As we have already discussed, introducing learners to risky play can help them develop a broad range of skills that they can employ to keep themselves safe. The risk benefit assessment acknowledges the challenges, encourages practitioners to mitigate them and allows them to identify learning opportunities that can come from outdoor loose parts play.

Having taken account of both of the above, you will also want to consider engaging with parents, guardians and other relevant stakeholders to introduce them to the concept of loose parts play. In my experience there can be some hesitancy from parents around play as part of the curriculum, but by discussing the learning opportunities and benefits play has for all learners you can help to settle any concerns. You might consider hosting an information evening or even a loose parts session for parents and guardians to attend, allowing them to see the joy that free play brings to learners.

Once you have ticked these off the to-do list, you are ready to facilitate your first loose parts play session! Remember that you are there to observe and to enable the learners to play. It might feel tempting to get involved and show the learners how they can use the materials, but allowing them to engage as they choose opens them up to a world of discovery. You could consider using questioning to help learners engage, but try to take a step back when you can. If you’re not able to fit loose parts into your class schedule, you could consider an after-school session or a lunch session to engage learners.

shutterstock.com

Loose Parts Play Resources

Starting something new can be daunting, so we have a range of resources to enable loose-parts play regardless of your setting.

Introducing adults to the concept of loose-parts play is a great place to start, and to help with that we have created presentations for educators and for parents. We also have this Loose-Parts Play Adult Information Leaflet as well leaflets on learning through play and outdoor learning that you can use to help engage adults. We also have a presentation and leaflet all about creating an outdoor learning environment that may be particularly helpful if outdoor learning is new to your setting.

Thinking of risk benefit assessments, we have created this great adult information presentation to introduce the concept to staff along with this template you can use to complete your own assessment.

We have also created a checklist full of loose parts you can include in your provision. The checklist includes both indoor and outdoor materials, gives suggestions for safely storing materials and reminds practitioners to consider safety when checking the suitability of materials. The checklist is by no means an exhaustive list, but could be a great starting point for your own materials audit.

We also recognise that maintaining your loose parts is vital to ensure that play is safe and hygienic, and have created this Loose-Parts Play Resource Cleaning Checklist. The checklist includes suggestions of how to clean things as well as a rota to ensure everyone is taking care of the materials.

Finally, we have created a set of activity ideas to help kick-start your sessions if your learners need some inspiration. This set of activities is tailored to Early Level learners but can easily be adapted to suit older learners too. The suggestions include ways to integrate mathematics skills like estimation or measuring, as well as things such as den building or potion creation.

shutterstock.com

International Women’s Day

“Here’s to strong women.

May we know them.

May we be them.

May we raise them!” 

Unknown

We all have women in our life that we look up to, idolise or aspire to be like. These women might be mothers, grandmothers, sisters, celebrities, or even complete strangers. Nevertheless, the qualities we admire in them help drive us to be the best we can.

What Is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day is a day to honour, celebrate and recognise the achievements of inspirational women around the world. It is celebrated on the 8^th March each year and it also highlights the ongoing journey towards eradicating inequalities.

History of International Women’s Day

The movement began on 19^th March 1911, where over one million people participated in demonstrations with women demanding the right to vote and protesting against discrimination.  By 1914, demonstrations had started to be celebrated on the 8^th March and this date has stuck ever since. In 1975, the United Nations adopted International Women’s Day which is now recognised as a rallying call for support in women’s participation in society, politics and economics.

Today recent protests such as the #MeToo movement continue to help push for progress in intersectional women’s rights.

Why Is It Important for Our Young People to Recognise IWD?

In all honesty, we should be celebrating the achievements of women every day. However, International Women’s Day provides achance to truly shine the spotlight on some of our most inspiring sisters. It’s a great opportunity for our children to acknowledge women around them as well as their achievements. Many schools across the world mark this day with special events, activities or workshops. But why is a teacher’s place to champion gender equality and commemorate the successes of memorable women?

Well, for young girls there are few things more important than having a strong female role model to look up to and when we as teachers bring stories of inspiring women into the classroom, we help our young people see the opportunities that they can pursue throughout their lives. Celebrating the achievements of all women helps break down the gender based stereotypes that still exist, and that benefits everyone (not just the girls). Its important to make sure the women you’re discussing come from a variety of different backgrounds, work in a range of different fields and truly represent a diverse range of ethnicities, abilities, beliefs and identities so that our girls can look up to somebody like them.

How Can Twinkl Help You Mark International Women’s Day?

Here at Twinkl, we want to help teachers feel confident in delivering lessons and facilitating discussions. We have created a wealth of resources that can help you mark International Women’s Day, helping you to deliver important messages on gender equality and respect.

Introduce Early Level learners to the idea of rights and responsibilities using this great child-friendly PowerPoint all about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – this can act as the starting point for you to discuss why everyone has rights regardless of who they are which can lead on to talking about women’s rights too. You could also use this brilliant Women in STEM Differentiated Reading Comprehension to help look at women working in areas that are traditionally dominated by men. 

This First Level Resource Pack has a broad range of resources within in that would be ideal for creating a short unit of work for your P2-P4 learners. This IDL Topic Web links in to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and can be used to exploIDL Topic Web linksre gender equality.

For Second Level learners we have resources covering a number of significant Scottish women including Jane Haining and Mary Slessor. You might also want to look outside of Scotland to some of the women who helped to build NASA such as Dorothy Vaughan or Katherine Johnson. This resource pack is full of resources that look at ‘Global Goal 5: Gender Equality’ and would be perfect for planning a larger unit of work.

Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood

What is Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood?

Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) is an element of Health and Wellbeing within the Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland. The Scottish Government highlights that the purpose of RSHP education is to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to help build and maintain positive and safe relationships, allowing young people to make informed decisions as they grow and develop. (Scottish Government, 2014) The Health and Wellbeing syllabus within Curriculum for Excellence provides practitioners with a key platform for delivering this education to children at an age-appropriate level. Local authorities, healthboards, Education Scotland and the Scottish Government have worked collaboratively to produce age-appropriate RSHP materials to support the implementation and delivery of a comprehensive and progressive RSHP education for all learners in Scotland from age 3 to 18, including those with additional support needs. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of sexual health education in the Scottish curriculum (rshp.scot).

Why Teach RSHP?

Sexual health education is essential for children’s overall health and wellbeing (Scottish Government, 2014). It equips them with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their sexual health and wellbeing, including healthy relationships, contraception and sexual consent. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has reported that comprehensive sexual health education contributes to lower teenage pregnancy rates and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, in addition to other broad sexual and reproductive health outcomes for young people. (UNESCO, 2021). High-quality relationships and sexual health education has also been found to help protect young people from abuse and sexual violence while also fostering equality and respect (Commissioner for Human Rights, 2020). 

In addition to promoting physical health, sexual health education can also foster positive social and emotional development. It can help children develop a positive sense of self and body image, understand the importance of consent and boundaries and build healthy relationships. Health Protection Scotland (2020) reported a rise of sexually transmitted infections at a time when 78.8% of senior learners pupils agreed that it was easy to source information about sexual health and only 59.4% of senior phase learners found it easy to seek support on sexual health issues (Scottish Government, 2023). With these figures in mind, it is important that the Scottish curriculum delivers high-quality RSHP education to help improve the health and well being outcomes for all young people in Scotland. 

Safeguarding

One key aspect of RSHP in Scotland relates to equipping learners with the knowledge to help recognise positive relationships and protect themselves from harm. National guidance on child protection in Scotland highlights that practitioners have a responsibility to ensure learners understand how to keep themselves and others safe as well as how to seek support (Scottish Government, 2021). RSHP education has an important role to play here in developing this understanding in young people through exploring healthy relationships, consent, bodily autonomy and confidence in an age appropriate manner. Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that children should be protected from violence, abuse and neglect. The Scottish Government (2014) recognises that effective RSHP education can be proactive in safeguarding young and be delivered within the wider context of wellbeing and child protection. 

Equality and Inclusion 

Guidance on RSHP education in Scotland (Scottish Government, 2014) recognises the diversity of human sexuality and this is reflected in the Curriculum for Excellence Second Level Benchmarks, where it states that learners should “identify different kinds of friendships and relationships” and “demonstrate an understanding of diversity in sexuality and gender identity”. In addition, the rshp.scot supporting resources also reflect diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity. 

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to discriminate against others with identified protected characteristics and sexual orientation is one of those protected characteristics. Therefore,  it is important that RSHP education does not discriminate, but instead provides a broad and inclusive knowledge and understanding of relationships and gender identity. This inclusive approach to RSHP education can help to foster an inclusive environment for all and combat homophobia and transphobia at school and beyond (Commissioner for Human Rights, 2020) 

Support and Resources

Twinkl have been creating our own resources to help support RSHP education in Scottish schools at all levels of primary education. These resources are inclusive and include age-appropriate information for learners. Our full collection of primary RSHP resources can be accessed here.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the excellent resources Twinkl has to offer:

1. Let’s Learn About My Body PowerPoint 

This excellent review resource helps learners to understand the different parts of their body, including the correct anatomical terms for genitals. The colourful design makes it appealing to Early Level learners, making it ideal for teaching this sensitive topic. 

2. The Boss of Your Body PowerPoint 

This Early Level resource sensitively introduces learners to the concept of consent at a young age. It is a great way to begin the journey to understanding bodily autonomy. 

3. Keeping My Body Clean PowerPoint 

This PowerPoint resource provides an excellent introduction into personal hygiene for First Level learners. The content, design and illustrations has made it popular with our users with excellent reviews. 

4. RSHP Safe and Happy Online Blether Stations

Many of the Twinkl RSHP themes include listening and talking resources. These blether stations are excellent prompts to help First Level learners discuss online safety.

5. What Is Love? PowerPoint 

This First Level PowerPoint provides an excellent introduction into love and relationships. It helps promote inclusion by discussing different relationships, including LGBTQ+ ones. 

6. Understanding Sex PowerPoint 

Our Second Level resources are excellent for teaching sensitive RSHP topics and this Understanding Sex PowerPoint is no exception. The presentation has been written to be informative, objective and inclusive, making it a brilliant resource for P5-P7 learners.

7. RSHP Consent Blether Stations 

These Second Level Consent Blether Stations are an excellent resource for promoting classroom discussion on the topic of consent, helping learners to develop their knowledge and understanding of consent and body autonomy. 

The Power of Storytelling in Maths

This resource contains links to external websites and/or external apps. Please be aware that the inclusion of any link in this resource should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind by Twinkl of the linked website and/or app, or any association with its operators. You should also be aware that we have no control over the availability of the linked pages and/or apps. If the link is not working, please let us know by contacting TwinklCares and we will try to fix it although we can assume no responsibility if this is the case. We are not responsible for the content of external sites and/or external apps.

Storytelling is a super power in the maths classroom. With the right resources, it has the capacity to reduce anxiety and stimulate interest in a subject area that many learners find intimidating. Children effortlessly enter the world of storytelling, opening their imaginations as they anticipate and settle down for a period of joy (and learning). 

There’s an art to telling a good story and a maths story is no different. It needs to tap into a learner’s natural curiosity and take them on an adventure, a maths adventure. Characters overcome obstacles and listeners think ahead, predicting where the story is going and how it will end, cementing and reusing maths concepts explored in the book.

Maths Tales

At Twinkl we have developed Maths Tales for First Level Primary learners to bring literacy into the maths classroom and all the benefits that come with this interdisciplinary learning approach. The Maths Tale ‘No Time to Clip’ brings learners into Pixi’s Pet Parlour to meet her quirky customers and explore the maths concept of time. 

Research 

Researchers across the world have contributed to the growing evidence that highlights the transformative power storytelling can have in teaching and learning maths. Dr Trakulphadetkrai at the Uinversity of Reading has worked in the area and developed the popular website Maths Through Stories, allowing adults to become familiar and more confident of using this super power in a learning environment. 

Storytelling is at the heart of Scottish tradition. Scotland’s past, culture, language and folklore is ‘learnt’ through stories. TRACS (Traditional Arts Culture Scotland) recognises the benefits of storytelling to bring the Curriculum for Excellence to life. Creative learning does not need to stop when a maths class begins. Read more about the power of storytelling in education from the Scottish Storytelling Forum here. 

Benefits of Storytelling

Whatever the subject area, storytelling will always benefit the situation. We are all storytellers and hunt out situations to be entertained by other storytellers. Why? They’re engaging, they’re full of emotion and characters that intrigue us or we can identify with. Overall, a story helps anyone learn new information and recall that information, as it has been presented to you through a narrative you’re not going to easily forget. It is a powerful, natural learning experience.

Specifically, these aspects of storytelling can create a unique maths learning experience: 

• Listening – When a story starts, children settle down and listen intently. The brain even begins to release chemicals like endorphins that are associated with pleasure, connecting the maths experience with an emotionally positive moment.
• The whole brain – Areas of the brain light up when a story is told, and not the usual ones you’d associate with a maths lesson. Children are connecting with the characters of the story on an emotional level, their language centres are activated as well as the critical thinking and problem solving areas. 
• Imagination – Maths is no longer just external or numbers on page. Each child uses their imagination to build on the story they hear. Within that story is the maths seamlessly intertwined with the unique experience playing out in their minds. 
• Recall – Encasing key maths concepts within a story gives learners a narrative to recall rather than seemingly unrelated facts. Maths experiences presented within a story become more meaningful and easier to remember. 
• Communication – Often learners can find it difficult to express how they have deconstructed and solved a maths problem. Presenting the problem within a story will help them to communicate how they solved it, by explaining their steps and answers through the characters and incidents presented by the story.

Not Just a Story

Yes, using stories in maths is a great way to kick off a new topic, check for understanding or reinforce previous knowledge. However, it can also be the key focal point of a lesson and be supported by linked resources. ‘No Time to Clip’ is just this story. Available to support learning through this Maths Tale are numerous resources for different classroom scenarios.

To accompany No Time to Clip is the No Time to Clip Activity Booklet. Learners can use this booklet to solve and record the maths time problems presented throughout the story. 

No Time to Clip Maths Tale: Race to Clip Game is a fun game to help learners understand the passage of time, requiring them to move a clock on 5, 10 or 15 minute intervals. It is also a great resource to help learners explore their learning of time within a group.

These No Time to Clip Maths Tale: Dog Grooming Schedules are a fantastic resource to add to a roleplaying area of the classroom. Differentiated to suit all learners, they support the learning of annotating an analogue clock as well as creating appointment times in order to fit the opening times of their own pet parlour. 

Great for early finishers, soft starts or even as a golden time activity these No Time to Clip Maths Tale: Dot to Dot Activity Sheets are so much fun. Learners can pick their favourite dog from the story to help them practise counting in different time intervals. It’s also a great resource to link digital and analogue time. 

Every learner deserves a reward after an intense maths workout and these No Time to Clip Colouring Pages are perfect. As both a colouring page and a mindful colouring activity, these are the ideal way to wrap up learning about about time.

So, make some space on the maths trolley between the hundred squares and Dienes cubes to start building your Maths Tale library today.

The No Time to Clip Maths Tale and all accompanying resources can be found together as a pack here. 
More First Level maths resources can be found here:

Building Our Future: A STEAM Challenge for the Whole School

You’ve been asked to organise a Science Week or a Technology Week for your whole school. Perhaps for added complexity, it has been suggested that you could link it to the United Nations Global Goals and Targets. Where do you start? Relax, you’ve got this! Put the kettle on and read on to find out how a STEAM Theme could be the answer. In this blog, you will find out what Twinkl’s STEAM Themes are all about and how to use them throughout the school. You will discover innovative resources made in partnership with TV presenter and architect George Clarke’s charity MOBIE: Ministry of Building Innovation and Education.

What Is STEAM? 

STEAM is an acronym for Sciences, Technologies, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. 

These subjects are taught individually to develop knowledge but a STEAM approach encourages learners to apply these skills in an interdisciplinary way similar to how people work in the real world. Consider an architect; they would use all of the STEAM subjects to do their job!

A STEAM challenge asks a question that needs a solution. The learners then take what they have learnt and apply it to real-life problems: testing theories, exploring laws of nature, designing or sometimes simply observing what happens. 

 Why Use a STEAM Approach in School?

There are lots of reasons why a STEAM approach to learning can be beneficial. Here are a few:

·         Exploring real-life contexts to build connections in learning;

·         Encouraging exploration, discovery, creativity and innovation;

·         Decision making, group work negotiating and risk assessing;

·         Developing skills that can be applied to a variety of careers that may not even exist yet;

·         Technology is a vital part of our future;

·         Skills overlapping as they would in the workplace;

·         It’s great fun!

What Is a Twinkl Steam Theme and How Can the Whole School Get Involved?

There are plenty of exciting STEAM activity ideas out there, perfect for clubs, home learning and the classroom. It’s not as straightforward trying to plan a whole school STEAM event. 

What if I told you that there is an innovative whole school challenge that you can download? 

Twinkl STEAM Themes allow learners across the primary school stages to collaborate and explore an exciting topic together. It includes:

1. A whole school introduction PowerPoint to explain the ‘Big Bang’ challenge to all the learners.
2. Eight individual class ‘Question Spark’ challenges will provide progression of skills from the youngest to the oldest of learners in your primary school. Each has been planned following the Curriculum for Excellence and linked to the UN Global Goal targets. Composite classes can select which Question Spark is most suitable for the learners. Schools that have more than one class per year group can simply have more than one class working on each Question Spark. 
3. A PowerPoint for each year group that takes the learners step by step through the challenge following a level appropriate design cycle.
4. Real-life experts providing advice for your learners.
5. A scrapbook style PowerPoint that can be edited to include photos and quotes from learners and then shared with the wider school community to celebrate their combined efforts and successes.
6. A Toolbelt PowerPoint for teaching staff that includes a ‘Bringing You Up to Speed’ video and an interactive to-do list that can be checked off.
7. No printing is required and all challenges only require items usually already in schools or can be sourced for free.

Building Our Future with MOBIE

MOBIE, Ministry of Building Innovation and Education, is an education charity established by architect and TV presenter George Clarke. They have collaborated with Twinkl to produce this challenge to inspire young people to build the homes of the future that are healthier, happier and kinder to our planet. Meet George and the three engineers and architects who will guide you through this design challenge.

Here is Twinkl’s Building Our Future STEAM challenge:

1. Building Our Future: Whole School STEAM Challenge Pack (include link and preview image of the resource)

George Clark explains the ‘Big Bang Question’ in this introductory PowerPoint. How can our homes be happier, healthier and kinder to our planet? Also included is the editable scrapbook-style PowerPoint to celebrate the whole school’s combined efforts at finding solutions to this problem.

2. Building Our Future: Pre-5 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you make a future home for the Three Little Pigs? Linked to UN Global Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.

3. Building Our Future: Age 5-6 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you make a growing roof for the Three Little Pigs? Linked to UN Global Goal Target 15.5 Protect biodiversity and natural habitats.

4. Building Our Future: Age 6-7 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you encourage wildlife into the built environment? Linked to UN Global Goal Target 15.5 Protect biodiversity and natural habitats.

5. Building Our Future: Age 7-8 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you collect rainwater? Linked to UN Global Goal Target 6.4 Increase water-use efficiency and ensure freshwater supply.

6. Building Our Future: Age 8-9 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you use locally sourced materials to make a home? Linked to UN Global Goal Target 12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

7. Building Our Future: Age 9-10 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you reuse and repurpose to make a low carbon house? Linked to UN Global Goal Target 12.5 Substantially reduce waste generation.

8. Building Our Future: Age 10-11 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you show how insulation makes a difference? Linked to UN Global Goal Target 12.5 Substantially reduce waste generation

9. Building Our Future: Age 11-12 STEAM Theme Challenge Pack

Can you power a house with renewable energy? Linked to UN Global Goal Target 7.2 Increase global percentage of renewable energy.

Resources to Support STEAM Exploration

Twinkl STEAM Themes aim to use items that are readily available in schools or can be sourced easily for free or low expense. Secondary schools in your learning community or a local business might be able to lend suitable kit or provide expertise.  

Bringing new technologies into the classroom offers exciting learning opportunities and vital skills for the learners future, however, not all STEAM learning needs to rely on this. Creativity and innovation can come from imaginative play inspired by low-tech, readily available materials.

You might want to consider having a rummage box for learners to look through and incorporate into their models and prototypes. Although older learners could be asked to source their own components and encouraged to reuse and recycle.

There are many things you could put in a rummage box and you’ll likely find learners will start to contribute interesting items they find to the box. 

Here are just a few suggestions, but please consider the appropriateness of each for your learners:

cardboard boxes
tubes
yoghurt pots
plastic lids
colourful sweet wrappers
tinfoil
lollipop sticks
wool
rubber bands
sticky tape
masking tape
pipe cleaners
building blocks
chopsticks
paper muffin cases

unwanted kitchen items: baking trays, wooden spoons, sieve, 

Collect items from walks or the garden too:

offcuts of wood
pine cones
twigs
leaves

Supporting School Staff Wellbeing

How can you support your school staff mental health and wellbeing? This blog looks into some mental health statistics for education staff and ways in which members of the Senior Management Team can support their staff wellbeing.  

Teaching and working in education can be extremely rewarding, however, many school environments are considered stressful and demanding. While there is a clear effort for schools to support children’s health and wellbeing, there is still a lot to be done to support and improve the wellbeing of staff. 

The Numbers

According to the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, school staff and education professionals report the highest rates of work-related stress, depression and anxiety in Britain. The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2020 reports that in the UK, 62% of education professionals have described themselves as stressed, while 32% have experienced high levels of depression. More than half have considered leaving the sector due to pressures on their health and wellbeing, which are caused by long working hours, increased workload, lack of support and staff wellbeing resources. On top of that, more than half (57%) of education professionals do not feel that they can share mental health concerns with their employer. All these factors have a detrimental impact on staff wellbeing, resulting in burn-out and forcing professionals to leave their jobs.  

2020 was a challenging year for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, a considerable impact on our mental health and wellbeing and education professionals are not exempt from this. As well as trying to balance their personal and work life, they are also trying to meet even higher school demands and expectations. You might think that the pandemic is solely responsible for these high levels of stress and poor mental health, but if we look carefully at the Teacher Wellbeing Index of the year 2019, we notice that the levels were high even before the pandemic. Long before the education system was faced with the challenges of school closures, back in 2019, more than half of education professionals had considered leaving the profession. 72% had described themselves as stressed and 33% had worked more than 51 hours per week. Sadly, half of them thought their organisational culture to have a negative effect on their wellbeing.

What do these statistics show us? 

They show us a very simple fact: that school leaders, teachers and other school staff need to be supported, with their mental health and wellbeing prioritised. We must always keep in mind that a significant way to support our children’s wellbeing is by safeguarding our teachers’ mental health.  

What Is Wellbeing?

Wellbeing is generally defined as the state of being healthy, calm and happy. The term includes aspects of our physical, emotional and mental health. When our wellbeing is good, we feel better prepared to deal with life’s difficulties; we experience a more positive outlook, feel motivated and our life feels balanced.

Why Is School Staff Wellbeing Important?

Good staff wellbeing means that teachers and those who work in an educational setting feel good in their day-to-day work. A school that shows high levels of staff wellbeing is a mentally healthy school. Staff feel motivated, productive and inspired. They show improved performance and job satisfaction and have fewer absences. Last but not least, good staff wellbeing is responsible for motivated and mentally healthy pupils with higher attainment, enhanced wellbeing and better coping mechanisms.

How Can Schools Support Staff Wellbeing?

There are a variety of ways schools and education settings can support staff wellbeing, and the following list is not exhaustive. School leaders are responsible for major changes for their schools, but in order to lead well, they too must get the support they need.

School Ethos and Culture

The main questions that school leaders should ask themselves are ‘What is our school culture?’ and ‘How do we want to be perceived by people in and out of school?’ School ethos and culture contribute to how a school functions and what is significant in the day-to-day life of the staff and pupils. To support those who work for the school, the Senior Leadership Team may reflect on the following questions:

• How does our school look after staff? 
• What’s the environment like in our school? Is it a supportive, welcoming and inclusive environment? How can we make our school more healthy? Even having a bowl with fresh fruit in the staffroom for staff to help themselves to shows that someone cares.  
• Do we promote an environment of trust where staff feel open and encouraged to speak about their health and wellbeing and share concerns? Are we open to discuss mental health and wellbeing issues? How approachable are we?
• Do staff feel appreciated and respected? How do we know? How can we show that we appreciate all that they do for the school and their pupils? There are a number of ways to show appreciation, and these Teacher Wellbeing Postcards are brilliant for saying a wee thank you and brightening someone’s day. 
• Do we encourage staff to take breaks, finish on time and ask for support? Is there a culture of  expect them to work harder and longer? 
• What do we do to ensure that staff are listened to? Even providing them with space where they can go and take time out if they need to will show that the school respects their feelings and needs. Why not create a time-out room and place these Mind Your Mind Mindfulness Colouring Pages there? This will encourage staff to take some time out and relax their mind.  
• How do we promote human connections? Are there any social events we could run to facilitate team building and help our staff to get to know each other at a more personal level? It’s important to keep in mind that school staff are human beings first and foremost. 
• Last but not least, do we, as the school leaders, model good behaviour and look after our own wellbeing? How do we model good mental health and behaviour in practice?

Policies

When reflecting on policies, it is a good idea to think about the following:

• What’s our school wellbeing strategy? Has it been created taking all stakeholders into account? Is it shared with everyone in and out of the school?
• What are our school policies and procedures for staff wellbeing specifically?

How does our school support staff wellbeing in practice? Consider whether your school can invest in mindfulness, relaxation, managing stress and resilience workshops for its staff. These will give staff important knowledge, will teach them techniques to manage their emotions and will help them feel valued. Less workload and more teacher appraisal would be a very good way of supporting wellbeing in practice. Why not use these Scots Staff Shout Outs and these Fun End of Year Staff Award Certifications to praise staff? Another good wellbeing strategy would be to give staff the opportunity to have discussions with the Senior Leadership Team for whatever reason. All these strategies will promote a sense of belonging in the school community, resulting in happier and appreciative staff.

Help and Support

When we’re talking about help and support, we’re talking about appreciating that staff are not machines but people with lives, challenges and dreams. Consider the following:

• Are the Senior Leadership Team knowledgeable about how they can support their staff? 
• Do staff know how to access support if they need it? Is there clear information about this? 
• Does the school offer strategies to prevent the escalation of mental health issues?

A very useful guide you could share with your staff is this amazing Teacher Wellbeing Toolkit created by Twinkl, which aims to support school staff to look after their wellbeing in a number of ways. 

The above information sets out only some of the many ways that schools can reflect on how to support the mental health and wellbeing of their staff. It’s important to keep in mind that education staff are humans too, and that teachers who feel valued and appreciated can care for their pupils better than those who don’t.  

Further Reading

Teacher well-being at work in schools and further education providers, by Ofsted, July 2019 – GOV.UK

Ten ways to support school staff wellbeing – Anna Freud National Centre for Children and FamiliesStaff Wellbeing in Schools video – Anna Freud NCCF

Teaching Self-Compassion in Schools

What is self-compassion? What are its benefits to health and wellbeing? How can you teach your learners to be self-compassionate? Read the blog to find out the answers to these questions and more. 

An explosion of research has shown that self-compassion is strongly linked to good mental health and wellbeing. Evidence shows how a self-compassionate approach can lead to feelings of happiness, joy, fulfilment and satisfaction as well as reducing stress, anxiety and depression. But what is self-compassion? And how can we teach children such an abstract skill?

A Compassionate Approach

To understand self-compassion, we first need to understand what compassion means. Compassion is defined as the concern for the suffering and misfortunes of others. When we are compassionate, we acknowledge others’ struggles and we try to help them by offering them understanding and kindness. 

The difference between compassion and self-compassion can be found in this small word at the beginning: ‘self’. Self-compassion is commonly defined as the ability to treat ourselves with concern and love. It’s the ability to acknowledge our struggles with kindness, without judging and beating ourselves up. 

While children are taught in school to be kind and compassionate towards others, it is not as common for them to be taught to have the same approach towards themselves. They offer support and kindness to their loved ones but when times are tough for them, they can be hard on themselves, not knowing how they can approach a difficult situation in a different way. Some will grow up to be adults alienated from their inner self, sometimes experiencing feelings of self-hatred. Of course, it can be challenging to adopt this approach and choose love and kindness over self-criticism. However, we can teach our children the importance of this approach, helping them to prepare themselves for when they face struggles in their lives.

Why Self-Compassion?

When we demonstrate compassion towards others, we help them feel connected and cared for. They know that they can count on us because we are kind and supportive. When we know that we are not alone, we have more chances to overcome our struggles and worries. But what happens when this source of support comes from within? While receiving care from other people is extremely important, especially for babies, children and young people, it is important to remember that we can’t rely on others forever to give us the care we need; it’s crucial to learn to fulfil our needs and take care of ourselves.

Being self-compassionate helps us ask ourselves “How am I feeling?” and “What do I need?” We don’t act from a place of selfishness or self-pity but of concern and love. We acknowledge that we struggle and we accept our feelings. This acknowledgement and acceptance will help us tend to our needs and soothe ourselves – and ultimately become our own best friend. Consequently, when we practise self-compassion and look after ourselves, we are more ready and better placed to care for others too.  

The Benefits

Based on numerous resources studying the benefits of self-compassion, scientists have found that self-compassion helps our health and wellbeing by reducing anxiety and depression and increasing joy, contentment and satisfaction. The emotion of compassion is linked to oxytocin, known as the ‘love hormone’. Oxytocin promotes bonding, closeness and trust. When we direct compassion inwards, we release this hormone and the benefits it brings. We feel loved, content and nurtured. 

Self-compassionate people have a better quality of life and fewer relationship problems. They follow a positive lifestyle and sleep well. Their heart rate is steady and this leads to a stronger immune system.

Another benefit of self-compassion is increased motivation and resilience. According to research, self-compassion is positively associated with mastery goals – the motivation to learn and grow – and negatively associated with performance goals – the desire to enhance one’s self-image. When you fail and adopt a self-compassionate approach, you give yourself room to try again. Think of this that way: if you are self-critical and punish yourself for your failure, you will feel miserable and without the energy or motivation to try again. 

Moreover, self-compassion makes us more resilient in the face of hardship. Instead of pitying ourselves for our struggles and misfortunes, we can approach the facts with self-compassion and the knowledge that we did our best. This approach will help us accept the situation, move on and bounce back. Rather than avoiding the situation, we’re looking at it in the face, building our resilience.

The Science of Self-Compassion

One of the most important benefits of self-compassion is the stimulation of our soothing system. Humans have three emotional regulation systems: the threat system, the drive system and the soothing system. 

The threat system exists to protect us from dangers. When the threat system is activated, we feel stressed, scared or anxious, a useful feeling if we are threatened by a lion for example. Our modern society might not have lions walking in the street but it has many things we can feel threatened by: mistakes, lost opportunities, perceived flaws in our abilities, appearance and social skills. 

The drive system energises us and keeps us motivated. For example, a project can make us excited, pushing us to achieve our goals. The soothing system has the most calming effect on us. It is activated when we feel safe, nurtured, calm and content. 

We need all three systems in equal measure to be able to survive and evolve. If the threat system takes the lead, then we will be seeing threats everywhere, feeling anxious or depressed. If the drive system takes the upper hand, we will constantly be chasing the next goal, trying to achieve even more. The soothing system helps quieten the other two when they become overactive. Self-compassion helps with this because kindness and care towards others and ourselves can activate the soothing system, just like a hug we give a loved one.

Self-Compassion in Schools

Now that we have looked into the science and benefits of self-compassion, how can we as educators help children develop a self-compassionate approach?

Educate Yourself

First of all it’s important to educate yourself on this topic. There are plenty of training and workshops on the Internet, such as this Self-Compassion for Educators or this video on Self-Compassion, both led by Dr Kristin Neff, associate professor in educational psychology at the University of Texas and pioneer in the field of self-compassion. Check the ‘Further Reading’ section at the end of this blog to find out more about self-compassion. Being educated on self-compassion will not only help you support your learners but will also help you practice self-compassion.

Be a Role Model

We all know that children learn by example. Like all things in life, self-compassion can be learnt by mimicking behaviours. Teach them by modelling the behaviour you want them to replicate. For example, when you make a mistake in front of your class, instead of saying ‘Silly me’, acknowledge that you made a mistake and that this is okay – teach your learners that criticising yourself is not the way to achieve. With this kind of behaviour, you teach them to accept the situation and still stay kind to themselves.

Explain Self-Care

Teach them the importance of self-care and how it’s different from selfishness. Self-care is attending to our needs; it’s doing things that we love and that nurture us. Teach them that we can still be kind and loving towards others when we are kind and loving towards ourselves. Use this amazing Being Kind to Yourself Worksheet to encourage your learners to think about ways they can look after themselves.

Demonstrate Acceptance

Teach them that self-compassion doesn’t mean that we ignore our feelings – quite the opposite: when something bad happens that upsets or angers us, we acknowledge these feelings but instead of saying how bad we are or that we will never achieve, we choose to be kind by thinking that it is okay, it is hard but next time it will be better. Bad things will happen – that’s for sure. Our learners, like all of us, will face difficulties at some point in their lives: they will encounter frustrations, losses will occur, they will make mistakes. By teaching them that these things are part of life and that they happen to all of us, you will help them set the roots for a resilient life. Self-compassionate people accept that they are suffering and are kind towards themselves in these moments. Twinkl has created this lovely Feelings Folder to help you support Early Level learners to acknowledge and express their feelings.

Incorporate Self-Compassion Practices in Lessons

Incorporating self-compassion practice in the classroom is a very good way to support your learners to become more self-compassionate. A simple self-compassion practice is looking into the way they would treat a friend. This will help them consider how they treat others as opposed to how they treat themselves in challenging times. Hopefully, through this practice, they will start seeing themselves as an inner friend, an inner ally. The point is to treat themselves in the same, kind way they would treat a friend. 

Another practice you can use in your classroom is the supportive touch practice. This one asks your learners to place their hands on the heart and notice the sensations. Touch has a soothing effect when we feel stressed or upset and learning to offer this to ourselves can help lessen the impact of challenging emotions. 

The common element in all self-compassion practices is mindfulness. When we take the time to slow down and relax, we show love and kindness to ourselves. Why not use this Mindful Moments PowerPoint and these Mindfulness Breathing Exercises to teach First Level learners how to take a break and relax body and mind? 

“Be nice to yourself. It’s hard to be happy when someone’s mean to you all the time.” – Christine Arylo

Further Reading

Mindful Self-Compassion UK

Self-Compassion, Dr Kristin Neff

Self-Compassion for Students – Greater Good in Education

Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens – Center of Mindful Self-Compassion