Students from kindergarten to grade two took part in a series of activities last week to celebrate Children’s Week, focusing on friendship and being kind and respectful.
The activities took place at Seymour College and Seymour Family and Children’s Centre and were a collaborative effort between FamilyCare, Our Place, Seymour College, The Bridge Youth Services and Kids First Seymour in partnership with the State Government.
The theme for Children’s Week this year was ‘Children have the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others’.
In line with the theme, staff from FamilyCare read students a book called How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them via video, which taught students how to make friends, connect with different people and manage the tricky situations that can come up in friendships. Students then were able to ask questions about the book.
Following the reading, students took part in a craft activity where they made wooden spoon friends and planted them in the garden outside the school, making their own Spoonville.
FamilyCare Seymour social work student Clare Brown said the students were especially engaged with this year’s theme after being isolated from their friends for weeks at a time.
“The theme came at a really good time because all the kids have just come back to onsite learning and it’s the first time they’ve seen their friends and needed a bit of a reminder and some help to keep those connections going,” she said.
“They’ve already been able to use the book with a couple students who were having some arguments and fighting and were able to take them back through the book.
“It’s come at a really good time for teachers, too. They were looking for something to do with the kids to reengage them with how to make friends, approach other kids and how to respectfully be a friend.”
