Everybody deserves to have a friend. Friends are a huge part of going back to school. I remember that it was really fun to reconnect with good friends, meet new friends and oh yes to find out who is in my class who I am sitting next to. These social elements at school are just as important as learning. For some kids it is a bit more difficult to fit in and downright lonely at times. On an upnote, there are a number of elementary schools across the country that have installed buddy benches. These benches act as a pit stop for kids that would like to have a friend to play with. They are not just plain old benches to be used for eating on, they have a special purpose.
We learned of these benches for the first time here at Pacific Church of Irvine’s VBS in June. Then again this month in our newsletter we are reading about how the idea is successful and catching on.
Many kids have participated in the awareness of using the “Buddy Bench” and programs to help earn funds toward installing a buddy bench at their school. What an awesome, kind, outreach! Way to go and if you are interested in learning more about the benches check out : www.belson.com. If you want to read more about helping kids nurture friendships, check out our Parenting Christian Kids Sept 2017.
Debra