3 myths about young children and peer-to-peer support

By Jodi Miller
10/21/2024 – SmartBrief Edu

In the urgency to develop social-emotional learning and mental health programs, we have overlooked how elementary-aged students — even those in kindergarten — can help. Young students are a significant part of the social support system for the emotional well-being of other students and can be a part of peer-to-peer support networks. Studies have even found that elementary-school children in peer-to-peer support programs on average have increased attendance, increased social interactions and decreased disruptive or inappropriate behavior. See this series on SEL and Student Success from the SmartBrief 2022 SmartSummit.

Peer-to-peer support is not new to high-school students. Programs like NAMI on Campus (from the National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Sources of Strength train teens and pre-teens how to assist their peers. Yet, we have very few resources to mobilize younger students in this way. It isn’t surprising that there is a dearth of programs for them, perhaps because of some entrenched myths….Read Jodi Miller’s article about peer-to-peer support in SmartBrief Edu here.