Eat lunch with a small group of students.  Talk about something besides school.  

Here are a few ideas for conversation starters:  Tell me about your weekend.  If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?   Who is your favorite relative, and why?  What is something you are proud of?

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ONLINE OPTIONS

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While a relaxed lunchtime discussion in the classroom with students isn’t possible for a lot of us right now, there are ways to recreate the relationship-building power of those moments online. Consider the following: 

• Lunch Themes
  Have students create a list of different themed lunch events you could share together. Write them on a Google Doc and then work your way through the list with a special lunch once or a few times a week. Examples might include: 

  • Breakfast for Lunch (PJs required!) 

  • Lunchtime Dance Party (each participant brings a song to share)

  • What I’m Reading: Booktalks (share what you’re reading right now)

  • Trips from the Couch (participants share photos and stories about places they’ve visited)

  • My Favorite Recipes

  • Hot Seat (One person is the guest of honor for these lunches and other participants get to ask them questions about their life.) 

• Small Group Lunches 
  Create a sign-up sheet where small groups can choose to meet for lunch a few days a week. 
   

• Meet and Greet
  One of the interesting things about online learning is that we get to meet family members or caregivers more regularly because they are often in the room with our students. Consider inviting these folks to join your lunches and share more about who they are and interesting details from their lives. 
   

• Me Bags
  Have students gather 3-5 objects that are important to them and then invite a few students each week to share what’s in their bags. This could happen during a lunch meetup or it could happen during breaks in your regular school schedule. Be sure everyone gets a turn!