We spend years deliberately teaching children maths, English, science and countless other subjects, which are very important indeed. Yet some of the skills they may use throughout their entire lives are often things we expect them to simply pick up along the way.
What happens when something goes wrong and a child immediately thinks, βI can't do thisβ?
How do they learn to recognise when a thought isn't necessarily a fact? How do they understand what they're feeling before reacting to it? How do they recognise a healthy friendship, create a boundary, develop self-respect or cope when something doesn't go to plan?
These questions are at the heart of Little Consciousness Explorers, a life-skills and emotional wellbeing programme for children aged 6β11, created in Portsmouth by local mum.
Small moments can teach much bigger skills
One of the subjects explored through Little Consciousness Explorers is learning from mistakes.
When children are young, their mistakes can seem relatively small. They spill something, build something that falls down, lose a game or get an answer wrong.
But what happens after the mistake can matter just as much as the mistake itself.
Does the child immediately decide they're bad at it? Become frustrated? Walk away? Refuse to try again?
A mistake isn't only an opportunity to learn how to do that particular thing differently next time. It can also be an opportunity to practise a much bigger process: pause, understand what happened, learn from it, adapt and decide what to try next.
As children grow, the situations they encounter become more complicated. The small challenges of childhood eventually make way for bigger setbacks, difficult decisions, disappointment and situations that don't go the way they hoped.
Giving children opportunities to practise navigating smaller challenges while they're young can help them develop skills they can continue to draw upon as they grow.
Learning through experience
Little Consciousness Explorers was designed to go beyond simply telling children what they should do.
The lessons combine stories, practical exercises, movement, reflection and simple calming techniques, giving children different ways to explore and practise each concept for themselves.
Topics include understanding thoughts and feelings, emotional awareness, attention and perception, learning from mistakes, self-love and self-respect, boundaries and healthy friendships.
The programme has also been delivered with home-educated children in Portsmouth, allowing the activities to be experienced in a real group setting and providing insight into how children engage with the concepts, what captures their attention and what naturally starts conversations.
Bringing the conversations home
Little Consciousness Explorers is now being developed primarily as an online programme, allowing families to explore the lessons together from home, at their own pace.
Families can choose individual topics that feel particularly relevant to their child or follow the wider programme.
Having parents involved also means the learning doesn't have to end when the lesson does.
A child might encounter a difficult friendship the following week. They might become frustrated because something didn't work. They might notice themselves believing a thought that isn't actually a fact.
Those everyday moments create opportunities for families to return to what they've explored together and practise those skills in real life.
Skills for growing minds
Little Consciousness Explorers isn't about expecting children to manage every emotion perfectly, never make a poor choice or always respond calmly.
Children are learning - and that is precisely the point.
They will make mistakes. They will experience difficult emotions. Friendships won't always be straightforward. Things won't always go according to plan.
The idea behind Little Consciousness Explorers is to make conversations around these experiences more intentional, giving children opportunities to explore the skills that can help them navigate them.
Academic education gives children enormously important knowledge about the world around them.
Perhaps preparing them for life also means deliberately teaching them how to navigate the world within them - and the experiences, relationships and challenges they'll encounter along the way.
