Relationship Skills Teaching Resources
Help students build their relationship skills this school year with activities, games and more resources designed to support the CASEL framework and your lesson plans.
This collection of elementary and middle school teaching resources was created by the expert teachers of Teach Starter for teachers like you to help students build the skills they need to manage relationships with classmates and school staff, as well as those important friendships, family bonds and more out in the real world.
Set your students up for success with team-building activities that promote collaboration and provide opportunities for your students to work together, communicate effectively and solve problems as a team. Explore friendship activities that explore how to be a good friend. Browse printable games that teach students how to resolve conflicts with friends and teammates and a whole lot more.
Are you new to teaching relationship skills, or maybe you're just looking for fresh ideas to help your students manage relationships in your classroom and their lives? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Are Relationship Skills?
We're going to start simple here, but bear with us! When it comes to teaching anything, it helps to step back and look at what's at the heart of the topic.
Relationship skills are the abilities and behaviors that enable our students (and ourselves!) to interact effectively with others, build and maintain positive relationships and navigate social situations successfully.
Simple enough, right? Like much of the SEL curriculum, there are a variety of "skills" that are intertwined here, but these are the core concepts our teacher team considers part of relationship skills:
- Communication
- Friendship
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Conflict resolution
- Problem-solving
Of course, these will tie back to other topics within SEL. For example, it takes social awareness to show empathy, and it takes decision-making skills to resolve conflict.
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Conflict Resolution Tips - Poster
Display some top tips for solving playground conflicts with this colorful and informative classroom poster.
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Whole Body Listening Posters
A set of posters highlighting the characteristics of a good listener.
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What is Cooperation?- Tessellation Art Project
Engage your students in practicing the art of cooperation by having them create a collaborative tessellation project.
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We Can Cooperate Mini Book
Read to learn about cooperative behavior with a printable one-page foldable mini book.
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Mini Classroom Mailbox Template
Use this mini classroom mailbox template in a variety of ways.
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Listening to Others – Discussion Task Cards and Poster
Give students the opportunity to work on their listening skills and learn what it means to be a good listener with this set of 42 discussion cards and classroom poster.
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I Can Use My Words Mini-Book
Develop strategies and skills for communicating with others when you don’t like something with this printable mini-book.
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Being a Good Listener – Mini-Book
Develop and reinforce appropriate listening skills with this printable social skills mini-book.
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Whole Body Listening – Poster and Worksheet
Use this poster and accompanying worksheet to teach your students about whole body listening.
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Find a Friend Icebreaker Activity - Grades 1-2
Play a back-to-school find-a-friend game for students to get to know their classmates.
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Printable Anti-Bullying Posters
Decorate your classroom and school during National Bullying Prevention Month with printable Anti-Bullying Posters!
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Find a Friend - Intermediate Back to School Activity
Play a back-to-school find-a-friend game for students to get to know their classmates.
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Team Building Games – Upper Grades
Encourage communication and cooperation with this set of 10 team-building games.
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How To Be a Good Friend – Teaching Slides
Learn how to form healthy and long-lasting friendships with this set of teaching slides.
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How to Be a Good Friend Poster
Use this poster to teach your students how to be a good friend to others.
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Interview Shuffle — Classroom Community Building Interactive Slides
Help your students get to know each other with a Back to School Interview Shuffle icebreaker activity.
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What Good Friends Do – Differentiated Friendship Worksheets
Sort verbs according to if they are friendly or unfriendly interactions with this friendship worksheet.
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Being a Good Friend – Mini-Book
Learn how to be a good friend and maintain relationships with this printable social skills book.
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Friendship Flower Template
Reflect on how a good friend acts with this charming friendship writing exercise.
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Cooperation Puzzles - Team-Building Activity
Explore the benefits of cooperation with a tangram-style team-building activity.
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Cooperation Paper Chain
Work as a team to create a paper chain to serve as a reminder of the effects of cooperation.
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Cooperation Task Cards - Social Skills Activity
Build problem-solving skills and boost cooperative behavior in the classroom with printable discussion cards and cooperation writing opportunities.
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Cooperation Station — SEL and Character Education Craft
Make your classroom a better “space” with cooperative learning and a fun Cooperation Station craft!
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G.R.O.U.P.S - Group Work Expectations Poster
Encourage cooperative behavior during group work activities with a printable group work mnemonic poster.
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Cooperation Word Search
Review vocabulary and boost your students’ cooperative interaction skills with a word search worksheet.
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Sharing with My Friends – Mini-Book
Develop skills and strategies for sharing with others with this printable mini-book.
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Conflict Resolution Template
Manage classroom and playground conflicts positively and proactively with this conflict resolution template.
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I Can't Always Win Mini-Book
Teach your students to cope when they are not the winner with this social story mini-book.
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Asking Politely Mini-Book
Help your students learn how to ask for things politely with this social story mini-book.
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"The Scoop on Friendship" Activity
Discuss the attributes of a good friend with this ice cream-themed activity.
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Good Listener Anchor Charts
Use these anchor charts to teach your students how to be good listeners.
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Buddy Program Activity Task Cards
Encourage cooperation and inspire new friendships with a set of printable task cards for buddy activities.