Both Year 5 classes have spent time building relationships with their Kindergarten buddies so far this year, exploring social and emotional literacy through the ‘Arthur Interactive Media (AIM) Buddy Project’.

The AIM Project is a fun and engaging social and emotional learning program designed for Junior Primary aged children, much like the Second Step program, aimed at building upon and consolidating the skills that the boys are already learning in class.

The benefit of AIM is that the Kindergarten boys are able to have important discussions around topics they might struggle to talk to their teachers about, or fully comprehend, but having an older buddy to chat to really helps.

There are five main areas of focus – empathy, honesty, forgiveness, generosity and learning from others. Exploring the topics with Kindergarten helps them to build their skills, encouraging positive attitudes which lead to a more caring learning and playing environment, which ties in strongly with the school’s ethos.

In the first session, the Year 5 boys unpacked the idea of empathy. Before meeting their Kindergarten buddies, they worked in their buddy groups to go through the session notes and test out the interactive comic, in effect becoming the teachers. Some of the boys even shared the content with their parents at home as part of their preparation.

The first session on empathy covered three main areas, teasing, bullying and empathy, a skill that many younger children take time to fully understand and develop. Throughout the session, the Year 5 buddies checked in with their Kindergarten buddies regularly to gauge their understanding, asking them a range of questions. The general feedback was that using the characters from ‘Arthur’ really helped as many of the Kindergarten boys could relate to the characters and their behaviours, identifying positives and areas of potential improvement in themselves.

In the next session, Year 5 will help Kindergarten unpack the theme of honesty. Being in Year 5 comes with added responsibility this year, as they undertake meaningful interactions with their younger buddies and fulfill their role as future leaders of the school. It has been great watching those interactions, not just for the Kindergarten boys but also the Year 5 boys who are growing and developing as responsible role models too. We look forward to continuing the program this year.

Sam Watson and Pascal Czerwenka – Year 5 Teachers.