Morning assemblies can be fun for kids (maybe not while they are kids, depending on the purpose of the school assembly, though, but in hindsight). However, the fact that they can begin their day by meeting friends is definitely something to be excited about. Such gatherings and fun activities serve a better purpose than just being a source of entertainment for the kids.
A school assembly is a very essential part of inculcating discipline among students. In this post, we discuss in detail the purpose of school assembly and why you should conduct one in your school.
The Purpose of School Assembly
Build a sense of unity among students
Some schools conduct middle school assemblies and assemblies for high school students separately. This is a good decision when the theme of the assembly is not apt for a particular age group.
However, bringing the whole school together in one place, at the same time, is equally important. A school is a big team made of students and teachers. An all-school assembly is the only occasion where the whole team can come together and unify.
This is especially important when some students are preparing to compete in an interschool tournament on behalf of the school. You’ll need the entire school to rally behind them and assist them if necessary. It also instills pride and a sense of belonging.
Make your students assemble, talk to them, and take feedback from them. Encourage students and teachers to work as a team to achieve better success.
Social Skills
Owing to the pandemic, children have become reluctant to perform any outdoor activity. They love staying in their room, reading a book or a manga, binge-watching Netflix shows, and playing online games. Their engagement, ability, and willingness to form bonds with their friends have decreased. They learn a lot this way, but social skills are necessary in the long run.
An all-school assembly is a good way to observe their social behavior and help them develop their social skills. Some students might get along with everyone really well, but there are some students who are introverted and might need help to make friends.
You can conduct team activities to help them learn how to work with other people. Make sure the activities have some variations because not everyone likes to play treasure hunt or a relay race or quiz. Look for some ideas online for creative team-building activities. Additionally, you can invite a speaker to guide them on social skills.
Build confidence and self-esteem
Constant comparison to other classmates, peer pressure, and bullying, there are so many reasons why school children have low self-esteem. Lower self-esteem leads to a lower confidence level, increasing fear of failure. School assembly is a good chance for students to build confidence and work on their self-esteem.
You can organize special programs to educate them about the bad effects of bullying and teach them how to care for the ones left behind. Host some co-curricular activities and encourage students to participate. Make it a point that the students are supportive of everyone and are not booing them.
Appreciate students’ efforts
Distribute awards to students in front of the whole school. Not only will this encourage active participation but also make the winners feel special. If a student has won something outside the school, ask them to inform you so that you can celebrate their victory with all the children.
Educate while having fun
Educating in a regular classroom is boring. Students may or may not grasp everything taught in a class. But if they are given education in a fun way, they will retain it for a long time. You can organize fun quizzes or games. It is a win-win for you. The students gather a lot of knowledge, might also build interest in a certain topic, and actually pay attention in the class. That is the whole purpose of school assembly.
You can even show them some movies that are educational but also fun to watch. Invite a good speaker who can get along with children really well. You can connect to services that organize assemblies for schools. You can maybe ignore the syllabus a little here and focus more on life lessons outside the textbook.
Inculcate the habit of listening
These days the students have lost their ability to listen attentively. Their mind gets distracted very easily. School assemblies can help inculcate the habit of listening among the students. Have your teachers or students speak in the assembly on a variety of topics. Make these sessions interactive, so that the students pay attention to what is being said.
Professional speakers are great at grabbing their attention and making them listen to what they are saying. You can even take the boring route and actually have a guest session on active listening once in a while.
Active listening can help them understand the concepts taught in the class better. Listening skills are among the topmost skills, use your morning assemblies to help them with active listening.
Show their talent
Every student is gifted. Some are good at drawing while some are good at sports. Some enjoy singing and dancing while some love educational quizzes and elocutions. Some are great with debates while some prefer presenting their opinions on paper.
What better than a school assembly to give them a chance to participate appropriately in front of a huge audience. Every student is talented, but only a good school can encourage the students to improve this raw talent and become exceptionally good at it.
Encouragement and Appreciation
Give them a chance to showcase their talent in front of others. Give them ample opportunities and encouragement to excel at extracurricular activities. Organize a talent show with a jury to judge their talent. A jury can give them constructive feedback that will help in developing their talent.
Have competitions but keep the environment healthy. Winners get awards, but others should also be given some positive reinforcement so that they keep trying.
Such competitions are great as they also give students a chance to discover new talents and find what feels most suitable for them.
A school song is a common song that every student of the school must know. Singing that song in chorus particularly before inter-school competitions, can motivate students to perform better and win awards for the school.
Celebrate festivals together
Invite all the children to celebrate festivals with their friends in school. Organize a program focusing on the festival’s theme. Educate them on the festival and its significance, and let them have fun.
You can ask students to perform songs, plays, dance, and other school activities according to the theme. It is a good way to teach lessons at festivals and also have some fun. It would also be a nice breather for the teachers from constantly working.
Communicate information
Finally, an assembly serves the purpose of communicating information to all students at the same time. It is a great opportunity for the teachers as well, to educate and teach them discipline.
Morning assembly is the perfect place to make common announcements about extracurricular activities, new rules, any feedback from parents or students, exams, and a lot more. It is a good way to make sure there is no miscommunication and everyone knows the same story. Take up doubts, if any. Resolve them then and there.
Inculcate Discipline
The sense of discipline is very important in an individuals’ life and morning school assemblies are the best way to inculcate discipline in students. The importance of reaching school at a particular time and attending the morning school assembly develops a sense of time in them. The lessons about life that students can understand from a well-run school assembly can have a significant impact on them.
Bullying is a serious concern in many middle and high schools. Anti-bullying teachings in assemblies for high school students are an excellent opportunity to address the issue and enlighten all students on how to cope with a bullying situation.
Long story short
There could be a lot more reasons for having an all-school assembly, but from a broader perspective school assemblies are all about bringing all students together can encouraging them toward complete and active participation.
Thus, rendering them to do their best without any fear. Morning school assemblies can be a drag for some kids, but if you make it a point to add fun elements to it there is no better way of developing the skills and behavior of your students. Make every school day fun, exciting and educational for them.
