You probably need clever tips for building relationships with students quickly because it’s the first day of school with 25 names to learn and relationships to build. The hardest part is that we do need to build meaningful relationships quickly because we are the most powerful tools in our classrooms. It’s a task to build relationships with our students because we have so many other things that we need to do.
I Needed Tips for Building Relationships with Students
During my first school year as a classroom teacher, I was overwhelmed, to say the least. I was student-teaching and running a classroom. It was so hard to get to know the students because I was trying to be an awesome teacher, assigning too much work, and completing my student teaching.
Learning Tips for Building Relationships with Students
Now that I’ve been through it I wish I had slowed down and taken my time getting to know my students better. The connection you make with each student is the most important thing that you can do as a teacher. Take your time to slow down and get to know them in a real way.
What is Building Relationships?
When we build relationships with our students we are trying to make a social connection. In teaching we want it to be a working relationship that is beneficial to everyone. In teaching that usually means that the student will listen to us and we can teach them. A few ideas for you
- Honest Communication
- People Skills
- Respect and Appreciate Others
- Accept Support and Be Supportive
- Be Positive
More Tips for Building Relationships with Students
20 Relationship-Building Activities for Kids
The Importance of Strong Relationships
6 Easy Ways to Build Relationships with Your Students
Tips for Building Relationships with Students
As busy teachers, we need practical tips for building relationships with students quickly. Some great ideas that will help us get to know our students that are both fun and have some academic value. It doesn’t have to be complex and it should be enjoyable. Not only will your students listen and learn better when you have a good relationship, but you’ll enjoy teaching more too.
Tips for Building Relationships with Students by Skipping the Student Surveys
Student surveys are a great idea. Students answer lots of questions, think about themselves, and practice writing. It all sounds great until you have piles of surveys to read. There are surveys about them, ELA, math, and maybe even one for science or history. That’s way too much paper to read through.
Skip the surveys if you know you won’t actually have time to read through them and absorb all that valuable information. It would be more beneficial and practical to have a short half-page survey that you can actually look over.
Tips for Building Relationships with Students Using Games
Games always liven up a classroom. However, when you are trying to build relationships with your students let that be the priority. Don’t worry about using games with academic value, pick ones that you can play with your students and have a chance to talk to them.
If you want to use games to do two things then you can use 16 Fun and Simple Classroom Activities for Team Building. You probably can’t participate in these activities as easily, but it will help you get to know your students.
Tips for Building Relationships with Students Through Time Together
Here are two simple activities that you can do with your students to get to know them better. Be willing to let go of the academic rush to spend time with your students.
First, you can write together. Create a story in a small group, or have each student add a sentence to the story. It can be a silly activity that helps you get to know your students better.
The second activity is starting a lunch club. Lunch club can be a fun time to have with students and take a break from work. You can simply chat, play games, make it a book club, or homework help. I love the idea of breaking students into groups based on what they need. If you have a few students who always struggle with homework you can have some small group time to chat about it and make it fun. As their needs change then their groups can change too.
Tips for Building Relationships with Students with Brag Time
Brag time just means that students can talk about themselves. It’s a chance for them to share and be proud of the things they’ve done. There are a few ways you can go about brag time.
I have had classrooms that have a student of the week each week. We had students fill out posters that told all about them. Then they share it with the class all. It’s a challenge in preparedness, public speaking, and social skills. The kids were all excited for their turn to present to the class.
Show and Tell is a classic activity that we reserve for little kids, but big kids like the show and tell too. Big kids probably have more to show. They might be creating videos, leveling up in sports, or learning new things on their own. It’s fun to have a whole bunch of positive attention.
Tips for Building Relationships with Students Through Culturally Responsive Teaching
Culturally responsive teaching is when you embrace the cultures, characteristics, experiences, and perspectives in your classroom to form a better community. Students learn about themselves and each other to help them embrace each other. When I was in grad school I created a culturally responsive unit that I still teach with. The unit walks students through several lessons and can be taught in any order.
- Ethnic Identity
Students learn about their own ethnic background. They talk to their parents and see what makes them who they are and where they come from.
- Special Moments Brown Bag
This is a book-based lesson. Students read a book about a woman who is losing her memory and a boy who wants to help. He brings her special objects. Students fill a brown bag with five of their own special objects or pictures. Students present their objects to the class. Then students can write a whole story based on one of the objects
- Only One
This lesson is based on a book. After reading the story students try to figure out how they are unique from others in the class. The goal is that students embrace each other’s differences.
- Family Tree
Students investigate and build their family tree. They use the technical marking and information from their parents to go as far back as they want or time allows
- I Am
I Am is a poetry lesson in which students think about everything they’ve learned about themselves and put it into a free verse poem. I like to start the poem with lots of detail and get short and fast at the end.
You can find the Culturally Responsive Teaching Unit in my TpT store or pick individual lessons you’d like to use.
The Most Import of the Tips for Building Relationships with Students
Enjoy taking time to get to know your students because your investment in them early on will pay off later in the year. They are each unique individuals who can be intelligent, emotional, thoughtful, and challenging. Find out what makes them tick so you teach them better.
Here is Your FREE Prompt for Writing Poetry
I know that you needed a prompt to help kickstart your students’ writing. Here is an entire lesson for FREE. My Our School Poem guides students by using sensory language to describe their school. The step-by-step directions guide your class through the writing process with all the necessary worksheets making this the perfect lesson for your classroom.