I have found in the past 16 months, that virtual teaching and in-person teaching have more in common than I previously thought.  In this month’s series - Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators, you can discover how easy it is to continue some of your favorite traditions on your virtual meeting platform of choice.  To access all the Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators posts in the series for free, please click here.

Introduction

One of the favorite traditions I have celebrated over the years of teaching childbirth classes is the class photo of all the pregnant families together at the last class and then a reunion picture with the families all holding their babies when we meet again.  Of course with classes being moved to virtual platforms, things have had to change, but we have found a way to celebrate the end of class anyway, which all the families appreciate.

When to conduct this activity

This is one of the last things I do at the end of a childbirth class series, before I send them off with my good wishes for great birthing experiences.

How to conduct this activity

As you are closing the class, let families know that you don’t want them to miss out on the class photos that they would have done if you all were meeting in person.  Select “gallery” view on your meeting platform settings, so you see all the families at once on your screen.  Ask everyone to snuggle their “baby” from class practice and smile.  Grab your own “baby” as well.  Take a screenshot of the entire class and save it for later.

After the class, share the photos via email, a class meeting platform or any other method you use to communicate with your classes.

Remember to do the same thing at the reunion, whether it is online or in-person.

How much time should you allow

This entire activity takes about three minutes from start to finish, so is easy to fit in for any instructor.

Materials needed

You don’t need any materials, but you do need to know how put the class in “gallery” view on your meeting software and also how to take a screenshot on the device you are using to teach.

Optional but fun: Families need the “baby” they had chosen to use during the class, usually from the bodyfeeding and newborn sections

What are the families saying

The families love this little “souvenir” from their childbirth class and everyone laughs and smiles when we are doing it.  It is normalizing the virtual classroom environment and the fact that the COVID pandemic has impacted all of us and they appreciate the opportunity to remember our time together as a class.

Conclusion

This little closing activity takes but a few minutes and results in great rewards and warm feelings.  Don’t let the fact that classes may be virtual impact your community building activities for the families who are attending.  This simple thing is recognized and appreciated by the families you are working with.

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