A little while ago, a young girl arrived for her first Theatretrain session.
She was holding tightly onto her mum’s hand.
She looked nervous.
Unsure.
I wasn’t convinced she’d come through the door.
Then she looked up.
Across the room, she spotted another child she recognised.
And suddenly…
It was like Mum didn’t exist anymore.
She ran straight over.
Within seconds she looked completely different.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
Excited to be there.
It was a lovely reminder of something I’ve noticed many times over the years.
Children are looking for something familiar
Walking into a new environment can feel overwhelming.
There are new faces.
New adults.
New routines.
New expectations.
Before children decide whether they like somewhere, they’re often asking themselves a much simpler question:
“Do I know anyone?”
Sometimes the answer is yes.
And that one familiar face changes everything.
It isn’t really about friendship
People often assume it’s because they’ve found a friend.
I don’t think that’s quite it.
I think it’s because familiarity makes children feel safe.
When they recognise someone, even if they only know them a little, the whole environment suddenly feels less unknown.
Instead of walking into a room full of strangers, they’ve got someone they can walk towards.
Someone they can smile at.
Someone who makes the first few minutes feel easier.
One familiar face often leads to much more
Interestingly, once children feel socially comfortable, everything else often becomes easier too.
They join in more.
They start talking to other children.
They relax.
Their confidence begins to grow.
That first familiar face often becomes the bridge to making lots of new friends.
What if they don’t know anyone?
Parents sometimes worry that not knowing anyone will put their child at a disadvantage.
In reality, most of our students arrive without knowing anybody.
That’s exactly why we have our Welcome Ambassadors.
Their job is to become that familiar face from the moment a new child arrives.
They welcome them, introduce them to the group, walk with them between classes and make sure they’re never left wondering where to go or who to talk to.
It’s one of the reasons many children settle much more quickly than their parents expect.
Should you bring a friend?
If your child already knows someone who comes along, wonderful.
It can make those first few minutes feel easier.
But don’t feel that you have to wait until they can bring a friend.
Children make connections in lots of different ways.
Sometimes all they need is one kind person to help them feel like they belong.
The thing I’ve learnt
Watching that little girl run towards someone she recognised reminded me that children don’t always need huge amounts of confidence to try something new.
Sometimes they just need one small piece of familiarity.
One smile.
One friendly face.
One person who helps them feel that this new place might just become somewhere they belong.
