Soul Speak sessions with year 4 students at Rabat Primary school – 2025

Spiritual Development in Schools, in collaboration with The National Literacy Agency, successfully organised four ‘Soul Speak (Titkellem Ruħna)’ sessions of writing, reading, and reflection for Year 4.1 and Year 4.2 students at St Nicholas College, Anton Agius Primary School Rabat. These engaging sessions allowed children to explore the Writing Process through imaginative and reflective activities while deepening their understanding of spirituality.

Highlights from Session 1 to Session 4

The first session focused on self-identity, where students explored what makes them unique and special through activities like fingerprint art, journaling, and an animated story titled ‘Unique Finger’. After the break, students were led into a quiet moment of meditation, allowing them to step away from the busyness of daily life and discover a sense of inner peace before transitioning into prayer spaces, which were set up with activities related to the five senses, accompanied by soft background music. The session continued with pre-writing activities by using the senses and writing about the self. It concluded with an exit note.

In the second session, themed around love and the joy of sharing, students watched a video clip on acts of kindness, participated in journaling, created kindness bags using a word bank and used another pre-writing strategy, ‘Wh’ questions, to write a kind message to a dear person. Then they engaged in prayer activities ‘Pipe Cleaner People’, ‘Fishing for Kindness’, and ‘Jumping for Joy’. Students shared their favourite prayer moments in their journals.

The third session focused on worries and letting go, beginning with the animated story ‘My Grandfather’s Fishing Boat’. Students meditated before participating in prayer activities to help them release fears, such as ‘Worry Boats’, ‘Relaxing Water’, and ‘Weightlifting Worries’. After the break, they played instruments and an action song and wrote their first draft about bringing joy to others. They engaged in peer response and editing exercises.

The final session explored themes of friendship and conflict. While engaging with the animated story Sandcastle, students participated in a mime, embodying asking for forgiveness and rekindling friendships. They also brought the story to life by constructing sandcastles using kinetic sand and a tuff tray.

After the break, students entered a time of meditation, deepening their reflection and prayer through activities like Friendship Chain, Sorry Sand, and Jigsaw Prayers. They wrote their thoughts in journals and shared their insights with peers.

Following this, students completed the Writing Process Wheel, reinforcing the five stages of the writing process. The Author’s Chair strategy provided a platform for them to present their writings and reflections. The sessions concluded with a special celebration, where students were awarded certificates for their participation.

The sessions proved to be a powerful experience, combining literacy development with personal and spiritual growth.

What teachers shared:

• “Sessions were very interesting. Students motivated themselves to participate in all activities. They looked forward to the hands-on prayer activities.”
• “The pastoral workers were very patient and well prepared.”

What children shared:

• “I loved all the prayer activities, stories, journaling, and positivity. I loved all the sessions. I had fun and enjoyed writing stories and drawing in my journal.”
• “I liked it when we went inside the boat and wrote our worries on paper boats.”
• “I liked the peer response technique to revise my writing.”
• “I loved the Sandcastle story and the role play. Saying sorry and making friends again is amazing.”

The SDS team sincerely thanks the Head of School, Senior Leadership Team, teachers, and educators for their invaluable support and dedication in making these sessions successful. We also extend our heartfelt appreciation to Fr. Joe Mizzi, the school’s Religious Counsellor.