Sometimes trying to build relationships with your students can be difficult. Here are some tried and true tips that might help you!
I share a lot about myself
I let my students know about who I am as a real person. They know that I have things that I love and things that I could do without. Students that I taught a few years ago like to ask me if I still love Paris? When am I going to put up the kindness bulletin board in the hallway? Do I still have 2 cats? They just love to know about the things that YOU love.
I give them plenty of opportunities to share about themselves
Elementary students know a lot about the things that they like and dislike too. I always give my students lots of opportunities to talk about themselves and their lives. There is a reason students love to write personal narratives! Because they LOVE to talk about themselves! Every Monday during our Monday meeting, students have the chance to share about their weekend or anything they want the class to know about. When we build relationships, it’s all about the give and takes. I know all about them and they know a lot about me!
I ask them weird questions
One of my favourite parts of our day is our morning question. Each day there is a this or that question projected onto the whiteboard. Sometimes they are simple – soft-serve ice cream or hard scooped ice cream? And sometimes they are a little more difficult – like pitting their two favourite local restaurants against each other! Even my quiet students answer these questions and I always tell them that there is no explanation needed. Just pick one or the other! You can grab my template for these questions here free morning question templates.
I play with them outside
Typically, I had recess duty once per week but with Covid-19 I now go outside each day with my class for their morning recess. Somedays I just circulate around our area on the playground to chat with them but if they have a big group game going, I get right in the middle of it! They love to play monkey in the middle with a football, especially if I’m in the middle. I also join in anytime there is a frisbee! They love to show off and chat when we play. It’s a great chance to see a different side of them than you see in the classroom!
I let them have a lot of say in our classroom
My rules for our classroom are: work hard and be kind, but my students actually define what those things will mean for our class. On the first day of school they jot down on sticky notes what specifically these things mean and we refer back to them for the whole school year! Sometimes, I offer them two choices (that I will be perfectly happy with) and they vote to decide which one we will go with. We have a lot of class chats about behaviour and what we think appropriate consequences are. Students really buy into something when they feel that their voices are being heard!
These suggestions might seem small but trust me, they have a big impact on your students! Leave a comment and tell me about your favourite strategies to build relationships with your students!
