​Finding treasure in an uncertain world

Hazelgrove’s Head of Lower School, Emma Bartlett, reflects on the use of ‘Treasure Groups’ to help children navigate the challenges of growing up in uncertain times, and how this set up has been a great success during this particularly demanding year.

It is easy to believe that an excellent education is everything we need to succeed in life. However, education alone is not the key to success and happiness.

We all need to believe that we are valued, or we will fall short of reaching our full potential.

Life is full of uncertainties, now more than ever before, and perhaps now is the most important time to prepare our children to deal emotionally with life’s challenges; to instil a greater confidence in their abilities, creating more resilience to enable them to fully engage in their futures.

Observing children is key to supporting them, as a parent and as a teacher. Being able to spot challenges they face, whether frustrations, anxieties or sadness is the first step to supporting a child’s emotional development. Communication between parents and school needs to be strong, consistent, and built on trust.

One route that has seen great success is the setting up of ‘Treasure groups’, which provide emotional support to children struggling to navigate friendships and/or feelings of anxiety or frustration.

The main aim of ‘Treasure groups’ is to share strategies or ‘tools’ to empower the children to respond calmly and positively to situations in which they may find themselves. With the help of a literal ‘Toolbox’ the children explore each week a range of strategies from which they can draw. Creative, collaborative tasks help to combat negative feelings and give a forum to discuss ‘triggers’. These are the incidents that often start a chain of events that can lead to a child becoming distressed or angry. It is a powerful moment when a child realises that they are not on their own in feeling this way.

Over the past few years I have seen the relief on a child’s face when they look around at the other children in our ‘Treasure’ group and realise they are not alone in struggling with emotions that often make their days, separating from parents, sleeping etc., so tough. Knowing that they are not alone allows the child a renewed confidence to share and to be heard. From there, the group can learn and support each other in finding, testing and celebrating times when their ‘tools’ have enabled them to have better days and more positive experiences.

For many children, parents and staff having the correct language and terms that explore and explain feelings is vital. For example, using colours to explain feelings, especially for the younger and less articulate, is very useful. Being understood quickly, offsets ‘triggers’ and incidents of frustration or outbursts of anxiety. The ‘tools’ shared can range from breathing techniques, to looking at how our brain works (fight or flight), looking beyond our problems by focusing on a positive to come. Standing tall and using a Superhero pose, along with more practical support (walking away and outside, water on hands, use of playdough to stretch and tug, kicking leaves etc) to help regain composure and return to a calmer state of mind and in a better place to learn. Role play too, is key to helping break down social/family situations whilst looking at empathy, facial expressions and the importance of body language.

These sessions allow our children to grow in resilience, to learn that ‘They’ve got this!’ To know that it is ok to struggle and to have tough times, and to be able to use their ‘Tools’ to get them back on track. It is a privilege to be on this journey and to know these children so well and to share in the triumphs of playing a solo in a concert or coping better when a game is lost. These skills are for life and I believe that with these skills explored now, the children’s future will be much healthier and happier.