Building relationships within the classroom

These restorative justice circle guides focus on helping students build relationships with their peers and the adults that support them. The questions in these guides focus on having fun and learning more about one another. You can use these guides at any point during the school year, but relationship-building circles are especially helpful at the beginning of the year to help create a culture of belonging in your classroom.

Elementary

Circle Agreements: Here, you can remind everyone of the circle agreements you came up with as a class. Some examples are: speak from your heart, listen from your heart, respect the talking piece, you always have the right to pass, and what happens here, stays here.

Opening Quote: “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody!” - Kid President

Mindfulness Exercise: English Meditation / Spanish Meditation

Check-in Round: How are you doing today on a scale from 1 to 5? (One is the lowest, five is the highest.)

Question 1: Would you rather be a professional athlete or a professional musician?

Question 2: If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be? Why?

Question 3: What is something you are looking forward to in the next week or two?

Closing Quote: “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions. And the roots spring up and make new trees.” - Amelia Earhart

Secondary

Circle Agreements: Here, you can remind everyone of the circle agreements you came up with as a class. Some examples are: speak from your heart, listen from your heart, respect the talking piece, you always have the right to pass, and what happens here, stays here.

Opening Quote: “Those who forgive themselves and are able to accept their true nature…those are the strong ones!” - Itachi from Naruto

Mindfulness Exercise: English Meditation / Spanish Meditation

Check-in Round: Share two words that describe how you are feeling today. For example: grateful and sleepy

Question 1: Is cereal a soup?

Question 2: If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Question 3: If you could pick one restaurant to serve their food in the cafeteria, which would you choose?

Question 4: What is something that made you laugh recently?

Closing Quote: “If you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” -Michael Jordan

Take a Mental Health Test

If you or a friend are struggling with your mental health, take an anonymous, free, and private mental health test. It only takes a few minutes, and after you are finished you will be given information about the next steps you can take based on the results.