8 Simple Strategies to Build a Relationship with Students in Primary Grades

It’s worth the effort.

In the foundation years, it is the teacher who makes or breaks a student.

Their young impressionable minds are like soft clay, waiting to be moulded. They’re excited to learn, eager to please, and waiting for words of appreciation and confidence from you, the teacher.

The relationship between the teacher and student in the primary grades is something unique. As yet uncorrupted, they look up to the teacher. And it’s for the teacher to create an environment of trust, security, support and encouragement.

All it needs is a little bit of empathy and understanding. Your efforts to understand the students’ perspective, needs and emotions, makes it a lot easier to establish a meaningful connection.

Another essential element is patience, oodles and oodles of it. The classroom will have a mix of students, covering the whole spectrum of development, and it needs your patience to build relationships with each one of them, earn their trust and guide them to reach their potential.

Their diverse backgrounds, interests, and learning levels have to be taken into account to tailor the instructions in a supportive way.

Strategies For Building A Meaningful Relationship With Your Students

1. Active listening: You have to be ready to listen to what they have to say, validate their experiences, show genuine interest in their thoughts and feelings, instead of waving them away. Take them seriously for they are saying it in all seriousness.

2. Know your student: It may not be possible to have the same depth of relationship with each of your students, but you have to put in equal effort to know each of them. Know their strengths, weaknesses, interests, talents, and it will help you guide them better.

Also make sure you remember their names correctly. This is often overlooked. They will instantly feel connected to you.

3. Create a positive classroom environment: They must feel welcome in the classroom. You must infuse a positive energy into the learning and interactions to make it lively and active. The more the students feel comfortable, the more they will be involved with the activities.

4. Make learning fun: This is the time for laying the foundations for a lifetime of learning. Let it not be a dreary task but filled with variety. Use innovative ideas to make the lessons engaging and interactive. Include storytelling or use of videos or puppets to generate curiosity and interest. And most importantly, learn to laugh with them. Share a joke or a light moment with the kids and see the changes in the interactions.

5. Keep some bonding time for the children: This is the exclusive ‘us’ time — you and the children. It’s essential for building that relation. Listen to them, let them ask you questions, speak to them, guide them. Just a few minutes every day and you can shape their young minds. I used to have daily J-A-M sessions in my class and would ask a few students to speak for a minute — a story, poem, incident, or joke, or anything of their choice. It was a great way to bond with them.

6. Constructive feedback: Be caring and sensitive when giving feedback. Remember they’re at the starting line and there’s so much they need to learn. Show them what’s expected. Set the standard you want them to achieve and then guide them to reach those standards. Snarky or rude comments, discrimination, indifference, can put them off studies or learning. With your consistent encouragement and feedback, they will be ready for bigger challenges.

7. Use their interests to keep them engaged: If something piques their interest, modify your plans for the day and go with the flow. Most children like to ‘do’ things. Include different types of activities to boost their engagement. Ask them to make posters, collages, storyboards, or even scrap books about a topic of their interest.

8. Believe in them: The best gift you can give them is your belief in them and their ability. As a person who has witnessed their struggles to learn something, it’s you who knows them best. Be their cheerleader, support them in their endeavours. Your belief in them will be the biggest motivation for them.

The primary objective as teachers is to teach. But students will only want to learn if they enjoy learning. And this joy in learning can be inculcated only by the teacher.

It’s imperative for teachers to prioritise building a healthy and supportive relationship with the students to ensure that their students continue with their lifelong pursuit of learning and growth with a positive mindset.

Be the teacher they will remember with a smile long after they’ve left your classroom.

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