‘Teach social harmony to build healthy relationships’

Building healthy relationships with peers is important for a student’s personal well-being, growth, and overall happiness. School can be a social and emotional learning ground for students. Building healthy relationships with peers allows them to develop essential social skills like communication, empathy, and cooperation.

Bhavya Arora, IBDP Psychology Facilitator and School Counselor at Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park said that before we talk about how to build positive relationships with peers, we have to address why bullying happens.

“It happens because of differences. We see differences all around us but this should not come with negative connotations. But the minute we say ‘different’ we automatically attach a negative connotation. This must be discouraged at all costs, at home and in the school. We can be different by our gender and or cultural backgrounds; we could be different in terms of our ability to learn,” Arora explained.

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“Communication is very important to build healthy and positive peer relationships. We are not forcing a child to make friends with others but to teach them how to create social harmony. This is possible if we communicate with each other”

–Bhavya Arora, IBDP Psychology Facilitator and School Counselor at Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park

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Another reason for the difference that we create is the lack of proper communication. “At times, our communications are dominated by a lot of negative emotions, this creates distances among people. For others, the difference could be how to dress, how you look and how you behave,” Arora said and shared some strategies that can help these differences and build healthy relationships among peers in the school.

1. Communication is very important to build healthy and positive peer relationships. We are not forcing a child to make friends with others but to teach them how to create social harmony. This is possible if we communicate with each other. Social harmony should be part of the value system.

2. Show respect for others. A person can have a difference of opinion but at the same time, children must be taught to not let negativity come in.

3. Listening is just as important as communication. While we hear what the other person is saying, we seldom listen.

4. Children should be taught to be empathetic. This is only possible if we inculcate values in the children right from the beginning.

5. Conflicts are bound to happen. It is important to teach children how to navigate through them. It is a skill that can be learnt and built to help encourage positive relationships.

6. Parents need to be role models for their children. A child will copy his/her parents. They watch how their parents deal with conflicts and when they face a similar situation, they will do exactly what their parents have done. Teach your child how to deal with conflicts in school without being negative.

7.  If there are siblings, the parents should encourage them to learn from each other and build a positive learning environment where they respect each other.

“Building a positive relationship is important for children’s personal growth. It’s important for their professional growth also. So cultivating these positive relationships with your peers and learning that in school is a start and you know you are creating your basin foundation to move on to the real world. So one is yes, by showing respect to others is showing respect to those different sets,” Arora asserted.

Here are some more strategies that can help students cultivate healthy relationships with peers

Common interests: Find common interests and activities that you can engage in together. Shared hobbies or passions can help you bond and strengthen your relationship with your peers.

Support and encouragement: Be supportive of your peers’ goals, dreams, and achievements. Offer encouragement and celebrate their successes. Likewise, be there for them during difficult times and provide a listening ear or a helping hand when needed.

Be reliable and trustworthy: Build trust with your peers by being reliable and trustworthy. Respect confidentiality and avoid sharing personal information without permission.

Be inclusive: Embrace diversity. Respect and appreciate individual differences among your peers.