Children learn best when they are happy. We know that their learning involves a medley of cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth to make it all happen. However, the greatest catalyst for stimulating all those factors comes from a happy and emotionally sound classroom environment.

We know that if a child feels secure in these spaces, they are not questioning whether they are liked or valued, they are not looking over their shoulder to see if their peers are questioning what they have to say. Spontaneously and creatively they will question out loud and have a go at all types of problem-solving unafraid that getting something wrong matters. Such a utopia is certainly driven by high-quality teaching and it requires the skill of a teacher to make all children feel safe and welcome.

We know that to be an effective learner in any of those four areas as mentioned, you must be prepared to question, to probe and to feel comfortable to be yourself amongst all the others in the classroom.

Such a classroom is a hive of industry where children lay out their strengths and weaknesses and look to others to support their needs and together everyone collaborates and engages. This culture is a learning environment where success is inevitable.

A classroom is a happy place of learning. Here are some ways to help your child feel happier and settled at school.

Utopia you say. To some degree yes, as everyday is not perfect and that in its own right is about finding ways as a class and as an individual student to get better in some way or to simply learn from others. Failure is a natural process accepted in those settings as a legitimate way to learn.

It is always worthwhile checking in with your child about how happy they are in their classroom. No child should feel isolated or use disengaging tactics to survive. A regular check in with your child is helpful and if necessary you can do the following to help your child feel happier and settled at school.

Always keep regular contact with the teacher. It is most important to let them know when your child is losing a sense of contentment in the classroom.
Invite your child to write about their day at school. This can be quite revealing as well.
It is also worthwhile to note if your child talks happily about their day at school. Some children are slow when questioned about their day but occasionally asking; ‘I am wondering what kind of a day you had today.”.. is reasonable.
Notice if your child is engaging with their friends well. Are they coming home to play etc? Are they regularly mentioning their names in a happy way?
Is your child showing interest in joining clubs etc. after school? This is often a sign of wanting to be included and of carrying on from engagement in the school day.
Does your child talk positively about their teachers? When children feel accepted they are often buzzing around what the teacher did that day.
Is your child quick to get up in the morning and get started for school? Reticent starts to the day can be a sign of feeling anxious about the forthcoming day.

School should be a happy place where a child feels stimulated to learn across those four levels. These include intellectual, emotional, social and physical. There is no one time where there is a complete picture of what is being learnt. There is no one assessment that can tell you everything as it is a gradual evolving exercise built around a strong encouraging environment. As a parent tap into it from time to time to ensure that for your child it is an alive and actively happy place.

‘Give the child a happy learning environment and watch how they succeed.’
-Gail J Smith