This is precisely where the organisation TALENTS LAB KIDS comes in.
Once a month, volunteers visit primary school classes in priority education areas to run workshops with a difference. Their aim is to instil essential values in the children – such as self-confidence, respect, sharing, listening and cooperation – whilst also helping them to better understand who they are, their personalities, their reactions and their limits. A different kind of lesson. A different way of learning. And sometimes, a simple ball of modelling clay is all it takes to break down barriers.
In a class, not all children react in the same way. Some get involved straight away. Others watch from the sidelines. Some are shy. And then there are those who arrive bursting with energy, who refuse to take part and sometimes even find it ‘embarrassing’ to join in what they see as an activity for little ones. It is precisely with them that we sometimes best discover the power of this method.
I’m thinking in particular of one particularly boisterous child who absolutely refused to take part. That day, we were talking about emotions and I asked a very simple question: ‘How are you feeling today?’ No reply. Whilst the other children played along and expressed themselves, he remained withdrawn. So I changed my approach. I handed out balls of modelling clay and asked them to represent their mood for the day. And there was an immediate change. The child relaxed, took his modelling clay and began to create a figure of himself. He gave it a drooping mouth to represent his bad mood. He’s having fun. He’s joining in.
And, most importantly, he stays with us for the rest of the workshop, without us having to ask him to take part again. This brief moment sums up the philosophy of TALENTS LAB KIDS quite well: sometimes, asking a direct question can put a child off. But when we use play, creativity or humour, the barriers can come down.
The workshops enable children to reflect on how they feel, their character, their reactions and their limits. But also on how they behave towards others. They learn about themselves so they can get on better with others.
Do I get angry? Why do I find it hard to listen? How should I react when I disagree? How can I work with someone I wouldn’t have chosen? How can I make room for others without losing my own place? These questions may seem simple. They are not. Respect, listening, sharing and cooperation are not innate. They are learnt. And often, they are learnt best when the child is an active participant rather than a mere spectator. Activities take place in small groups or with the whole class.
We play, we chat, we reflect, and we laugh a lot. There is no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ personality. Everyone can find their place and discover their own talents. No marks, but a certificate Throughout the year, the children take part in various workshops without being assessed in the same way as they might be in academic subjects. There are no rankings. No competition. At the end of the year, a brief overall assessment measures the progress made, and everyone receives a certificate. A certificate that essentially says: ‘You took part. You’ve made progress. You’ve learnt about yourself and about others.’
We ask a lot of children: to be able to read, write, count, learn lessons…
But do we teach them enough about getting to know themselves, managing their emotions, listening, cooperating, accepting differences and having self-confidence? Yet these skills will stay with them throughout their lives. This is what TALENTS LAB KIDS aims to convey: giving children the tools to get to know themselves better, understand others better and find their place within a group. And sometimes, all it takes is a ball of modelling clay, a mouth that falls off and a child who, just a few minutes earlier, was refusing to take part, to realise that a door has just opened.
Learning to be oneself in order to live better with others: what if this were also one of the most valuable lessons we can teach children?
Contact:
@talentslabkids
Dominique Jeanteur: 06 32 55 85 60
contact@talentslakids.com
