In the modern Australian educational landscape, the traditional three “R”s — Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic — are increasingly sharing the spotlight with a fourth: Relationships.
Educators and parents alike recognise that a child’s ability to manage emotions, show empathy, and build healthy rapport is just as critical to long-term success as academic performance.
This capability is known as Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) — and surprisingly, one of the most effective tools for teaching these deeply human skills is a robot named Matilda.
At first glance, the idea sounds like a contradiction pulled from science fiction: using a machine to teach a child how to be more human.
However, for many children — particularly those who are neurodivergent or experience high social anxiety — human interaction can be unpredictable and overwhelming.
People display rapid micro-expressions, use sarcasm and metaphor, and shift tone constantly. For a developing brain, decoding these signals can be exhausting.
Matilda, by contrast, is a simplified social actor:
This creates a low-stakes environment where children can practise social interaction without fear of judgment or rejection.
Matilda is designed to align with the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework, offering structured experiences across the five core competencies of SEL.
Matilda leads activities that help children identify internal states and physical cues.
“I can see you are moving very fast today. Are you feeling excited, or perhaps a bit restless?”
Children begin learning to name and recognise their own emotions.
When frustration arises during play, Matilda does not mirror the emotion.
Instead, she models regulation strategies such as:
This teaches children how to regulate their own nervous systems through example.
Through storytelling, Matilda introduces perspective-taking.
“My friend the teddy bear lost his hat today. How do you think he feels? What could we do to help?”
These scenarios help children recognise and respond to the emotions of others.
Matilda is highly effective at modelling turn-taking and reciprocal interaction.
She encourages children to:
These behaviours form the foundation of healthy peer relationships.
Matilda presents age-appropriate dilemmas and asks children to choose a response.
By exploring consequences in a simulated setting, children learn how social decisions affect others — safely and without pressure.
The ultimate goal of using Matilda in classrooms or homes is skill generalisation.
The aim is not for children to be kind only to a robot, but to carry those skills into real-world relationships.
Australian pilot programmes have shown that once a child learns to identify emotions with Matilda — such as recognising a “sad” face — they are significantly more likely to notice and respond to the same emotion in their peers.
Matilda acts as training wheels for empathy, supporting development until children are ready to navigate complex human interactions independently.
No — quite the opposite.
Matilda is used as a facilitator, not a replacement. In most environments, a teacher or parent is present, and Matilda actively encourages the child to share learnings with the human adult.
She functions as a social bridge, helping children transition into richer interpersonal engagement.
Yes.
Matilda is programmed with de-escalation scripts and remains calm and non-judgmental. This provides a safe space for children to process big emotions, often preventing escalation into a full meltdown.
Empathy can be practised.
Emotional intelligence can be strengthened.
By integrating Matilda into a Social-Emotional Learning framework, Australian educators and families gain access to a unique, engaging, and evidence-based way to support children in becoming resilient, compassionate adults.
Ready to bring Social-Emotional Learning into your classroom or home?
Discover how Matilda’s SEL modules can support your wellbeing goals.
