Its hard to be a teacher right now - everything moves so fast. Paperwork piles up. Marking needs to be taken home. Targets are increasingly demanding. And what about for the children! The expectation to process, learn and demonstrate as quickly as possible is a real stress for some. And those who find communication a challenge can find the classroom hard. Really hard.

That’s why it’s such a privilege to run Speech Bubbles sessions in schools. Here, we create a safe space where a child has the time to think and respond at their own pace.

In Speech Bubbles I have the time to allow a child to respond in their own time after asking them a question, 10 seconds if that’s what they need. This allows them space to process and collate their thoughts so they can express themselves fully. It is magical to hear a child’s ideas that may have otherwise been lost due to confidence issues or processing time. Whether that’s due to a learning difference, a language barrier or something different it doesn’t matter. I believe all children have a story to tell and at Speech Bubbles, we give the children the time, tools and platform to share theirs.

By allowing a child time to respond to an instruction or question, as adults we are modelling respect, active listening and how to take turns; not only in our session, but in life. Through the practise of patience, we are giving them time to learn to self-regulate and manage any insecure or frustrated feelings they may be experiencing.

Sometimes it is easy to forget how scary speaking can be. Especially if the words don’t come out the way we want or we fear our words might be the wrong ones. At Speech Bubbles we take the time to notice the positive choices a child makes. Praising this progress can make such a huge difference to a child’s wellbeing and sense of self. This is so important and it helps increase focus and resilience.

By being patient, accepting and encouraging, Speech Bubbles helps ensure that every child reaches their potential and fosters a life-long love of learning.