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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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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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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Conflict Resolution Tips - Poster
Display some top tips for solving playground conflicts with this colorful and informative classroom poster.
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Friendship Flower Template
Reflect on how a good friend acts with this charming friendship writing exercise.
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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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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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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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Whole Body Listening Posters
A set of posters highlighting the characteristics of a good listener.
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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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What is Cooperation? SEL Accordion Book
Engage your students in identifying cooperative and non-cooperative behaviors with a printable social-emotional learning booklet.
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My Forgiveness Journal – SEL Worksheets
Teach students about the importance of forgiving others with this printable forgiveness journal.
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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 is Cooperation? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the difference between cooperative and non-cooperative behavior with this cut and paste worksheet.
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Forgiving Friends – Character Education Activities
Use these character education activities to encourage students to maintain and repair friendships by forgiving others.
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Grow a Friendship Garden – Friendship Activities
Encourage students to make a friendship garden grow with this activity bundle that includes friendship worksheets, writing templates, craft templates, and scenario cards.
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Find a Friend Who…Worksheet
Encourage students to engage with different classmates and learn about others with this whole-class activity.
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Saying Sorry Mini-Book
Learn how to develop strategies and skills for saying sorry to others with this printable mini-book.
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Asking My Friends to Play Mini-Book
Learn about appropriate social skills when asking friends to play with this printable mini-book.
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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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Asking Politely Mini-Book
Help your students learn how to ask for things politely with this social story mini-book.
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"Recipe for Friendship" Activity
Describe how to build a beautiful friendship with this worksheet.
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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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Mini Classroom Mailbox Template
Use this mini classroom mailbox template in a variety of ways.
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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.
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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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Cooperation Social Stories - Interactive Activity
Help your students differentiate between uncooperative and cooperative behavior in social situations with an interactive activity.
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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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Race to 50: Cooperation Challenges
Explore the benefits of cooperation with a set of team-building number race activities.
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I Can Be Cooperative Sort
Practice personal and social skills to cooperate and interact respectfully with others with an engaging sorting activity.
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My Cooperation Sticker Chart - Printable
Promote and reward cooperative behavior with a pack of printable cooperation sticker charts.
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Is It Cooperative? Social Skills Activity
Explore the difference between cooperative and non-cooperative behavior with a sorting activity.