What is the Rock & Water Program

The Rock & Water program is well known throughout school education systems around the world since it was written in the mid 1990’s.  The program is founded on a psycho- physical framework, and has aspects of key philosophies such as brain gym, mindfulness and the philosophies of the “Rock & Water Program” developed by Dutch educationalist, Freerk Ykema.

The Rock & Water program has demonstrated its ability to:

• Teach centring and grounding techniques to adults, children and young people that create better teachers and more effective learners.
• Teach “self-respect” and “respect to others” as a concept that provides the foundation for shared learning and connecting opportunities.
• Build socially safe environments for children and young people.
• Provide a framework for teaching social skills and life skills for children, young people and adults.
• Incorporate a reflection framework for schools (psycho-physical approach).
• To provide opportunities through exercises and activities to raise body awareness, emotional awareness and self-awareness to improve teachers and students confidence, emotional management and reflection skills.
• Provide a common language for adults who perform supporting roles for children and young people e.g. teachers.
• Provide opportunities to develop self-management and personal control skills, skills that foster personal empowerment.
• Improve relationships with adults to adult, student-to-student and adult to student.
• Create a positive program approach with implicit approaches that provide explicit learning opportunities.
• Employ a “proactive” approach to working with people, in particular children and young people, as opposed to a crisis management or “reactive”, framework.