Many of you have seen the baskets of stuffed animals in the Sky and Trees Classrooms and may have wondered about
them. You have probably noticed that in the Sky Classroom, there are boxes that are becoming more elaborate each week, and each box contains a teddy bear.
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| Morning routines with stuffed animals nearby |
A few months ago, we introduced stuffed animals into the classrooms. The full day students each have their own teddy bear that they use throughout the day, and all children have the opportunity to use any of the other stuffed animals throughout the morning. These animals are shared among all children.
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| Ms Sytsma explaining the bears and the other stuffed animals |
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Children know the routines around holding and sharing the animals. We often see them cuddling them for comfort, working alongside them, or carrying them across the hallway as they move about from room to room.
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Children love to hold them during story time or meetings. If someone is feeling upset, they may find comfort in caring for an animal.
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In the afternoon, we have had a bear project. Each student who is here for the full day has their own bear that they have named and dressed. They care for the bears throughout the day and each bear has bed that the children are designing for it. The beds provide a place for the bears to be housed all day long.
These bears provide something for the afternoon children to hold during quiet time, which is often a time when some children find comfort in having a friend to gently care for or cuddle with.
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For some children, these bears help them to relax or fall asleep.
Objects like stuffed animals may serve as transitional objects for children in preschool (and beyond) to help them gain independence. Sometimes children feel very confident and independent, and at other times, they may really feel the need for comfort and companionship, and the animals may help children to feel more safe and secure.
Caring for something outside of yourself can help you to gain empathy and kindness.
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Earlier in the year, a few of our teachers went to a workshop at Bank Street College's Safe and Sounds Schools Institute that focused on strategies used in an emotionally responsive practice. They learned about using stuffed animals and teddy bears in classrooms to help create a supportive and nurturing environment for students.
“Teddy Bears in early childhood and early-grade classrooms give children a way to symbolize their supportive relationships...using them allows teachers a way to humanize caregiving routines and to integrate emotionally responsive curriculum into the existing daily structure. Teachers invite Teddy Bears into the classroom to help children understand and express their own feelings in constructive ways and understand the feeling states of other children. They use bears to decrease stress and anxiety and to give themselves a vehicle for addressing unresolved developmental, social, and emotional issues that hinder children’s socialization and learning processes.” (from Bears Bears Everywhere: Supporting Children’s Emotional Health in the Classroom).
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| Listening to and sharing thoughts with bears |
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Children have been very kind to one another as they share the stuffed animals, even with the animals that are favorites. Sometimes the animals help children feel settled, and when the children teach the animals to be attentive listeners, the children become better listeners themselves.
Many of the children have helped develop relationships between some of the animals, and we have seen some great imaginary play happening with them, as well as sharing of thoughts and feelings. These animals have helped us to build community by learning how to live together and grow and care for one another.
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