~ Pocket Hugs crafted by Sue Mulkern ~
‘A little heart filled with love and big hugs too. Carry me close so you have a hug wherever we go’. Sometimes the special people in our lives need to know we are always there for them; our pocket hugs are the perfect way to show the children we work with just how much we care and think about them.
We use pocket hugs within our work in a variety of ways. They are a reminder that we are thinking about the child even though we are not with them all the time; for the children, this can offer comfort at a time of anxiety or worry. We also give them to staff to use with the child to help develop their levels of independence within the classroom. Leaving a heart with a child reminds them that although you are not with them all the time you are always there for them. Leave a heart while you go to work with a child or do a job, the heart will look after the child and will help reduce their levels of anxiety because they know you will come back to collect the heart. They are also given to parents who have children that struggle to separate from them in the mornings. Mummy/Daddy/Grandma or whoever looks after the child has one heart and the child also has a heart – every time the heart is touched, they are thinking of each other, and it gives them comfort.
They are also great for children for their first day back at school after a holiday, or for going on camps or overnight trips. A pocket hug can be tucked into their pocket, so you have a constant close by reminder that you are loved and highly thought of.
Sometimes little things mean the most.
These hearts have been made for us by Sue Mulkern who also made us our Alfie and Lilly puppets.
Reach Behaviour 