Children have always found it difficult to get up in the morning and go to school. It’s a race against time. It would help if you ran after the school bus, then got to the assembly. Almost every school-going kid doesn’t like assemblies. India’s students tend to have heavy school bags, which can make them tired, and they must be in the assembly hall within a few seconds of arriving at school.
Music doesn’t have to be used only at the beginning of an assembly. It can also form an integral part of each session. Children can listen to and respond to many musical genres. Can they express their emotions or explain the connection between the music and the assembly theme?
It is important to get the children involved and to keep their attention. This goes beyond asking them questions. You could ask them to tell stories, use props, help decide assembly themes, or even lead the assembly (see opposite).
Picture books are a great way to break down barriers and communicate with children of all ages. Children younger than 5 years old will enjoy the pictures, while older children can use inference to explain how the story’s morals relate to their daily lives.
You can build up key assembly themes over a term or even a year. This gives you plenty of time to help children understand the concepts better over a longer period. Make your assemblies for schools short, memorable, and snappy to keep them fresh. Children will be more interested in participating and more likely to engage.
A gen gathering for the entire school is an opportunity to highlight schoolwide initiatives. Assemblies can be used as a platform for school improvement projects. Take the children along on the journey. You might find that giving children something such as times tables a spotlight is just what they need to be focused on.
Do not be afraid to speak from the heart. Children can sense when you are speaking from the heart, and they will listen. Your presentation will be more lively if you use stories and examples that are meaningful to you. This will also give insight into your core values.
Video clips are a great way of keeping things fresh. You can find a lot of short films online, which are great starting points for assembly discussions. There’s plenty at The Literacy Shed (literacyshed.org). com/talks) and the TED Talks archive (ted. To get you started, visit com/talks. You could also make your support for specific themes if you have the necessary resources.
Ask members of your school community for their input. Teachers, governors, and support staff might have something to offer the school. While not everyone is comfortable speaking in public, others will. Assembly meetings are a great way to get people involved.
There will be new topics in a constantly changing world. You should leave room in your plans to respond to your school’s international and national events and new trends. These will be a great opportunity for the children to share their knowledge with others.
One size doesn’t fit all. Although you may feel you have a tried and true approach to your assembly, it is always worth trying new things. You can ask other staff members to join you in pupil conferencing afterward so that you can track what is working in your setting.
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Some children prefer to work in groups, while others prefer to work alone. As homework, the children prepare and plan their assemblies on their own. They receive very little input from their teachers. All assemblies must make deeper connections to core school values. This gives children an opportunity to express their understanding and interpretation in a variety of contexts.
