Reflecting about Reflection: Why it is important

“Reflection: A process of exploring and examining ourselves, our perspectives, attributes, experiences, and actions/interactions. It helps us gain insight and see how to move forward.” – Institute for Academic Development 

When completing my Level 3 Forest School leader’s training, one of the first things that were introduced to me was reflection and how it is an important and valuable part of Forest School. I have been lucky enough to facilitate sessions of reflection and they really are heartwarming and rather powerful, it is amazing to see the opportunities reflection opens for both the participants and the Forest School Leader. 

Reflection is an amazing thing; it helps adults and children to recognise their own learning which helps them to go on to embed this. It is an opportunity to identify and celebrate achievements or to understand why an outcome may have not been met. Reflection helps us to understand our own strengths and weakness which helps us to grow and develop into strong, resilient human beings. Emotion intelligence increases and it helps us to begin to understand others and reflection can encourage us to continue to push beyond our limitations as it encourages growth which then develops into confidence… it truly is a special thing! 

I honestly would encourage everyone to regularly reflect on their days as a little mindfulness really can go a long way. Not sure how to reflect? There are many approaches to reflection, let me share some tips with you! 

Circle Times: A chance for the thoughts of all involved in the session, both adults and children to be shared. This can be empowering as the speaker has the ability to speak about their feelings freely and truly be heard, a real confidence boost. Please bare in mind, however, that some may feel uncomfortable participating in this activity, so please never force this, the member of the group will still be reflecting, just silently. 

Reflecting through Art: Whether this is drawing, painting, or modelling, it is definitely a therapeutic way of reflecting. Ask group members to make a piece of art based on their feelings about the day they have experienced or ask them to create art to show what they have been doing. This is a chance to reflect quietly with the opportunity to share their work once finished, again not everyone may feel comfortable sharing.

Writing down thoughts: There are many worksheets online that can aid reflection but there is also nothing wrong with putting pen to paper and letting your thoughts and feelings flow. Keeping a reflection journal that participants can keep throughout their journey is a fantastic way for them to see how far they have come on their journey.

Songs/Poems:  Some may feel silly doing this, because honestly when I had to I felt exactly the same way, but actually this was quite a powerful way to reflect. Creating a poem or song about the day’s learning is a brilliant way to help remember and embed this. 

Games: A fun way to reflect, using games to look back on the day can be exciting and it is a brilliant way to get participants talking. For example, playing a game of charades to act out what they have been up to that day can be a very fun activity. 

Thinking Time: Simple yet effective, find a spot you feel safe, get comfortable, close your eyes and just let the feelings flow. Reflection doesn’t always have to be carried out in a group and you don’t always have to hear each other’s reflections. 

These are just a few of my suggestions and I’m sure there are plenty out there! But I really hope you find the time to begin to reflect and to encourage others to do so, I do believe it is a form of self-care and the perfect way to help yourself become more mindful of your thoughts and feelings. So there we have it, my reflection on reflection!