Facilitate positive peer relationships
Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Supporting and strengthening peer relationships’
On this page:
On this page:
Current page section: Facilitate positive peer relationships
Go to top of current page: Facilitate positive peer relationships
Go to top of current page: Facilitate positive peer relationships
Go to top of current page: Facilitate positive peer relationships
Create a supportive peer culture
Create a supportive peer culture
Two year 13 students reflect on the way they support each other to make school work.
Ideas to support friendships
Ideas to support friendships
- Create opportunities to talk about how to build conversations, expand interactions, and be a good friend.
- Be a positive role model and respect individual differences. Model respect, caring, patience, and positive interactions.
- Promote connections around common interests.
- Provide opportunities for ongoing student connections.
- Help students to join ongoing group activities and support roles where they can participate and contribute fully.
- Share information about emergent friendships with parents so that they can arrange for students to get together outside class.
Utilise peer tutors and helpers
Utilise peer tutors and helpers
Students who act as peer tutors or helpers for their classmates experience personal benefits.
![8800 [NZC-Scenario-35-Numeracy-29.jpg]](https://inclusive-live-storagestack-assetstorages3bucket-3uty0hejzw6u.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/public/inclusive-education/example-images/NZC-Scenario-35-Numeracy-29__ScaleMaxWidthWzEwODZd.jpg)
Source: Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga (opens in a new tab/window)
Talk about how to make friends
Talk about how to make friends
An animated video to support younger students with talking about making and keeping friends.
No captions or transcript
Using technology to build friendships
Using technology to build friendships
A parent describes how using Facetime has helped her son with Aspergers connect with his classmates.
Useful resources
Useful resources
Impact: Promising practices to support friendships in inclusive classrooms
This site provides a list of ways that professionals and parents can help support friendships.
Publisher: University of Minnesota
Teaching guide: Being friends for grades K–5
Classroom activities to support students to learn how to make and be a good friend.
Publisher: Live Wire Media
Everyone belongs in our schools: A parent’s handbook on inclusive education
This guide includes a list of ways educators can encourage interactions and support friendships between students.
Publisher: Inclusion BC
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Support and strengthen peer relationships”:
-
Current page Facilitate positive peer relationships
Return to the guide “Supporting positive peer relationships”
![11441 [Peer-relationships-002.jpg]](https://inclusive-live-storagestack-assetstorages3bucket-3uty0hejzw6u.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/public/inclusive-education/guides/featured-images/Peer-relationships-002__FillWzIwOCwyMDhd.jpg)
How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: Behaviour and learning
Understand:
Strategies for action:
-
Commit to whole-school approachesShow suggestions for Commit to whole-school approaches
-
Foster relationships and partnershipsShow suggestions for Foster relationships and partnerships
-
Design learning for allShow suggestions for Design learning for all
-
Foster wellbeing and mental healthShow suggestions for Foster wellbeing and mental health
-
Embed social and emotional learningShow suggestions for Embed social and emotional learning
-
Be proactiveShow suggestions for Be proactive
- Identify factors that shape behaviour
- Recognise and remove barriers to learning
- Manage times of stress or change
- Recognise emerging distress
- Plan and practise adult responses
- Create support plans
-
Respond in challenging situationsShow suggestions for Respond in challenging situations
