Building Community in the Classroom

These children are hand knitting together

Creating art is a great opportunity to bring children together. Something I work hard to cultivate in all my art classes is a classroom community. I use a communal art table that accommodates all the children in my art class. Having all the children sit together helps unite the class. It only takes a few days for the kids to warm up and start conversations. Even the shyest child will begin to feel comfortable in a short amount of time. Creating an inclusive classroom community gives children a safe space to socialize. I also encourage children to support each other by being peer-to-peer teachers. Children learn best from each other. In a world where children can be isolated by their “screens”, having a strong classroom community is one way children can develop their social skills.

The children in the photo on the right are hand knitting 
together, and helping each other when they get to a difficult part in their knitting.