What are some ways that you build relationships between students throughout the year in elementary school? I think the teachers at our school are great at doing it in the first few weeks but then don’t continue throughout the school year once standards are started. I would love to share some ideas at our next PLC!
We are a Leader in Me school and in the beginning of the year each class writes a Class Mission Statement. In the new year - classes revisit these mission statements to check for any modifications that may be needed etc. This is something we do collectiely to build relationships etc.
On a smaller scale all of our classrooms and even our intervention groups have daily (sometimes multiple) SEL check-ins. For example in small group intervention we check in with each of the students in our groups using an SEL wheel - we document their daily reponses, refer them to other experts if they have voiced any concerns, and track patterns as a multidisciplinary team. Taking 1 minute to check in with students before class - or intervention - and then again throughout the day reinforces that people care about them.
I have a parent survey that families fill out at the beginning of each year to tell me about their child’s interests and anything I should know about them. I also have a kid friendly version that I use to capture information as each student shares with me. I store all this information away and use it when talking to students and helping them through things. Knowing their likes and dislikes helps me engage in conversations and make sure I tailor some lessons to their interests.
As for helping students build relationships with their peers. A lot of times, if I see someone who is alone, I will ask a couple of my sweet kids to invite them to play. I also will make offhand comments such as “oh my gosh, she is so good at art! I bet since you are so creative, you guys would get along really well!“ I also try to mix groups in class so that they can work with a variety of people. At conferences, I try to suggest some possible names for play dates outside of school to parents if their child, in particular seems to be more of a loner.
Also, when we make class lists, our teachers have input. We try to make sure that each kid has one or two people that they work well with and seem to enjoy in their next grade level class. I know not all schools have the privilege of teachers having that same level of input, so if that is not something your principal does with you, I would ask them if you could suggest some pairs of kids to keep together.
