Peer Relationships
A student who struggles with peer relationships may...
- tattle on other students
- have social skills challenges in conversations and play
- bother/annoy others
- be alone in and out of class
- seem to intentionally antagonize others, instigate, or be pushy
- struggle with partners or group work
- report having no friends or no one likes them
- have social conflicts
- argue with others
- be impulsive
- seem defensive
- misperceive intention
- lack social perspective
When supporting a student with challenges in peer relationships, some general strategies involve
- use classroom literature to support social skills topics
- carefully pair students with similar interests
- assign distinct/explicit roles for group work
- utilize peer mediation strategies
- partner with another class to explore relationships throughout campus
- highlight a student's positive skills and strengths for peers
- use structured academic language for conversations
- use class meetings; highlight compliments and successes in small behavior interactions
Interventions may include
- remind students of anticipated social conflicts and preview strategies
- facilitate social demands in the classroom
- use social stories
- reduce passing time; use structured movement in the classroom
- use Stop, Walk, Talk strategy to re-engage
- teacher/practice perspective taking
- teach problem-solving skills
- use size of the problem or a five-point scale
Literature Links
Bernstein Bears Get in a Fight
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose
Tough Guys Have Feelings Too by Keith Negley
That's (Not) Mine by Anna Kang
We Found a Hat by John Klassen
Tacky the Penguin Series by Helen Lester
Teacher Readings
Thinking About You Thinking About Me, Social Thinking