Teddy bears replace teacher’s hugs and comfort in nursery schools

In a world where affectionate gestures like hugging and holding hands is being discouraged to limit the spread of COVID-19, teachers have come up with a rather sweet way to bring little ones the much-needed comfort they need when they’re away from their mom and dad for extended periods of time.

A big challenge for foundation phase teachers during COVID-19 restrictions is the inability to show appropriate physical affection to kids in their care.

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High fives, hugs and physical touch are more likely to be used by children in the foundation phase, and teachers often make use of appropriate physical touch to comfort and contain the emotions of children in their care. The absence of this interaction and the changes brought about by COVID-19 restrictions has left many children feeling anxious.

To bridge the gap between these restrictions and the need to comfort their small learners, HeronBridge Pre-Preparatory has implemented the Teddy Bear Initiative.

How this works:

• Each child is required to bring a reasonably sized teddy bear from home with them to school every day. This helps with the settling in process and provides a sense of familiarity and comfort as a transitional object to remind children of a safe place.

Abigail Sebetola

• During different times of the day, the teacher implements “Teddy Bear Time” where the class as a whole holds their teddy bears and gives them two tight hugs. Physical compression through squeezing and then releasing something is a way to activate and relax muscle groups. When repeated, this activity helps the body to find a rhythm and the mind to re-focus. It’s a cognitive behavioural process that reduces panic, regulates breathing, lowers cortisol levels (responsible for panic) and subsequently reduces anxiety.

Ava Anderson

• If at any time during the day a child is feeling distressed, the teacher will ask the child to pick up their teddy, hug it tightly, release it, and then repeat the action -all while maintaining eye contact.

“It has been so lovely to see the children finding comfort in their teddy bear hugs throughout the day,” says Wendy Beyneveldt, Pre-Preparatory Head at HeronBridge College. “At a time when things are so chaotic, we want to make sure we are creating a happy, loving and safe learning environment for all our children. The Teddy Bear initiative helps us to do that.”

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