One minute a day, at the same time and in the same tone. Here's how to make the daily check-in part of the day rather than one more thing. This guide is also a one-page printable in our resources, if you'd rather keep it in the planner.
1. Set a time
Pick one moment and keep it. First thing is the natural choice, because the day hasn't happened yet and the check-in catches how each student arrived. The best time, though, is the one that works for you. Consistency matters more than the slot. In YouHue you set a check-in window for your class, and you can allow anytime check-ins if you want them.
2. Set the tone
Say it the same way every day: "Time to check in." No build-up, no big talk. Every feeling is okay, including okay. Make it ordinary and students will treat it as ordinary. That's exactly what you want.
3. Keep it private
Students check in on their own device, without reading out or comparing. Their check-in goes to you and the adults at school who are allowed to see it. It never goes to other students. Say that out loud in the first week. It's usually the first question a class asks.
4. Model it
Tell the class how you're feeling now and then, in one word. "A bit tired today." It shows that naming a feeling is normal rather than a confession. It also gives the quiet ones permission.
5. Notice without interrogating
Read the class on your home screen and see who might need a closer look. Then choose the moment. A quiet word later beats a public question now. Most check-ins need nothing from you at all. The habit is doing its work either way.
6. Say something back
When a check-in needs a reply, send a short message. Start from the suggested one and make it your own. Add an activity if it fits. Two sentences are enough. The student learns that what they wrote was read.
When in the day?
Schools have found a moment that suits them in all of these places. None is right for everyone.
- First thing in the morning, before the first lesson.
- After break, when something may have happened on the playground.
- After lunch, to reset for the afternoon.
- Before or after a test, when nerves run high.
- After PE or sport.
- At the end of the day, as a way of closing it.
Pick one and keep it. If you change it, tell the class why. Then keep the new one.
Common situations
A student says "fine" every day. That's allowed. Okay is a real mood. Look at the pattern over weeks, not the day.
Someone writes something that worries you. If a child's words ever need an adult right away, YouHue tells you straight away. Follow your school's usual steps, and never read a check-in aloud.
The class rushes it. Fine. A minute is enough. The habit matters more than the depth on any one day.
A child doesn't want to check in. Don't force it. Ask what would make it easier, and try again tomorrow.
You missed a day. Pick it up the next morning. The students will remind you soon enough.
Questions?
Write to help@youhue.com, or try it out on our homepage to see what your students will see.
