Our first classroom baby (now a Primary student) and our most recent classroom baby, who joins her mother in the Toddler/Pre-Primary class!
Over the years we have been fortunate enough to have a number of “Classroom Babies” in our various classrooms at Peace Rose. These babies are the children of our educators, and their presence in our programs has been a benefit to all of our students (and to their mothers!). Here are some of the ways a baby can enrich a classroom environment:
Children have an innate desire to nurture. A baby in the classroom gives them a real subject for their caring and nurturing nature.
A classroom baby helps keep the tone of the classroom peaceful and calm. A baby thrives in a calm environment and the students are extremely motivated to help the baby, which gives them a natural incentive to keep the classroom peaceful, quiet, and calm.
Being around babies teaches empathy. Children are incredibly tuned in to the mood of the baby, and this focus helps them in turn to identify, label, and normalize their own emotions.
Babies are an incredible science lesson. Having a pregnant educator and then a growing infant allows students to witness first hand the miracle of mammalian development! In fact, our very first themed year, 2016, was “The Year of the Mammal” in honor of our first classroom baby. When we have a classroom baby our lessons about human growth and development become much more interesting and personal for our students.
Older students find a very receptive audience for reading aloud in a baby. Nothing is sweeter than a kindergarten student working their way through a leveled reader while a baby gazes on with rapt attention. Can you think of a more calm and patient audience for someone learning to read?
For elementary and adolescent students, babies provide a wonderful opportunity to talk about the responsibility of parenthood and the needs of a baby.
The presence of a baby makes for rich Practical Life lessons. Washing the baby, watching the baby eat and be changed, helping to dress the baby— so many opportunities!
A classroom baby allows each child to be the older child. For our only and youngest children a classroom baby allows them the experience of being the older child and often a sibling like tenderness develops between students and the classroom babies. The students love watching the babies grow and take pride in their development and accomplishments.
Being able to bring their infant to class with them, especially for nursing parents, is a wonderful benefit that we are happy to have been able to offer to our educators. In each case we have assessed the needs of the students, the needs of the parent, and the needs of their co-teachers. Every classroom, child, and parent preference is different but when bringing a baby into the classroom works for the whole community, it is a beautiful thing.