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  • Parenting
    Big Kids

    This Made Our Day: Why Every School Should Have This Bench

    It's a simple yet brilliant idea that we hope schools here can embrace in the next school year.



  • What do school kids from the Willowgrove School in Saskatoon, Canada, do when they have no one to play with during recess? They sit on the Buddy Bench. 

    It's an ordinary looking, green-painted bench that's placed near the playground. Seven-year-old student Matthew Henkelman explains how it works: "If you can't find your best friends, and you don't know where to go play, you sit on the Buddy Bench, and somebody will come and find you." 

    Asked how long he had to wait for someone to invite him to play while sitting on the bench, Matthew replied, "A minute."

    "You can find friends easily when you're lonely and you don't have anyone to play with at recess," explains another student. She too, like Matthew, has sat on the Buddy Bench. 

    The Buddy Bench is a simple idea that makes a big difference. It encourages kindness, camaraderie, and inclusion. How nice if all schools had them.

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