As educators work to counteract the many stresses born from over a year of isolation and at-home learning, cultivating meaningful connections is critical. While student achievement is at the forefront of educational progress, social and emotional wellness remains an equal priority. Return to in-person learning continues to reveal the profound impact the pandemic has had on students’ social and emotional wellbeing. Shao and Kang explain that relationship skills are one of five social-emotional learning competencies critical to not only social-emotional wellness but learning engagement and, ultimately, academic success (2022).

Self-expression, communication, and collaboration are just a few important skills supporting healthy, meaningful relationships. The arts allow us to share ideas, skills, and experiences in a way that cultivates lasting connections critical to building these relationships. By providing students an opportunity to engage in the four major artistic processes—creating, performing, responding, and connecting—we not only make their school experience more meaningful and personal, but allow the magic of the arts to deepen interpersonal connections within our school communities (Farrington et al., 2019).

After more than a year of isolation, school communities must prioritize connection. Cultivating a culture of connection requires a clearly communicated vision and commitment from all stakeholders. Though all school community members play a role in school culture and climate, building leaders are the driving force who inspire staff, students, and families to create a school culture where connection and relationships are a top priority.

At the height of the pandemic, students, staff, and caregivers alike were left to their own devices to maintain any sense of connection and relationship. Though most have returned to what we’ve always considered “normal,” many are still recalibrating, recovering, and rebuilding a sense of connection to the people and places around them. Teachers across the nation are seeing unparalleled social and emotional skill gaps in students. These gaps, combined with a society already heavily reliant on technology for connection, suggest we are moving further and further away from authentic, in-person relationships. 

Schools have a unique and exciting opportunity to leverage collaborative, relationship-building experiences with the arts. These experiences are critical for students to gain a deeper understanding of not only themselves but their peers and the larger world around them (Farrington et al., 2019). This understanding is essential for developing healthy and meaningful interpersonal relationships. 

Creating learning experiences and environments that enrich students’ social and emotional development builds their capacity to make meaningful connections, develop lasting relationships, and, ultimately, be invested in their school community (Cookson, 2023). A school community filled with students who feel a sense of value, ownership, and belonging fosters a culture of connection.

Social-emotional learning skills, like relationship building, are essential to classroom success. Relationship skills include students’ abilities to connect with others, demonstrate empathy, and understand various perspectives in order to build and maintain healthy, rewarding relationships (Farrington et al., 2019). Integrating arts in various forms and spaces is an approach educators can use to support students’ development of interpersonal and relationship skills, leading to a highly social, interactive, and collaborative avenue for self-expression, communication, and problem-solving.

The arts use a creative process that requires thinking in new and innovative ways. It is also a means for drawing inspiration from others’ unique perspectives and experiences to get the creative juices flowing. Brainstorming ideas, finding ways to make those ideas cohesive, then creating something interesting and captivating is not only exciting but rewarding. It’s a natural way for students to affirm one another, push their peers’ creative thinking, and provide constructive feedback to produce their best work, collectively. Creative collaboration helps students see the power of teamwork and the ability others have to pull ideas together. 

Arts integration can be very personalized and is one of the most therapeutic forms of self-expression. Whether it’s drawing, writing, listening, or performing, art can be a vessel to express much more than words might allow, especially for students who can’t always find the words to articulate who they are or how they feel. You can just imagine how powerful it is for students to experience deep connection with their peers, simply through their personal or collective art form. By seeing, experiencing, and listening to the identity of those around them through the various arts, students will feel more connected to their peers, teachers, and their environment.

We often hear about integrating arts across the curriculum, but academic subjects are not the only opportunity to implement this. To truly build a sense of belonging, community, and strong relationships, the arts must be woven into the very fabric of school culture and climate. When we refer to the culture and climate of school, we’re talking about the feeling one experiences when they walk into the school, including the norms and values that exist in the words, actions, and thoughts of all members within the school community (School Climate & Culture, 2022).

Opportunity and space for students to create and experience art is abundant. Students can collectively work to create a mural or dance during lunch or recess. Responding to community-building prompts provided by the teacher through visual art, like story quilting or percussive art like stepping can build creative connections. Using protected schedule blocks like advisory time or class meetings to role-play allows students to process real-life situations that impact their daily lives. Students can bring items from home that represent who they are as a “show-and-tell,” then brainstorm ways to use those items to create a work of art that represents the class community. There are countless ways that students can access art to build connections and find experiences reflected upon the walls of their classroom and school.

Being equipped to integrate the arts with competing priorities is one way teachers can begin to prioritize connections. As schools navigate the vast challenges around our return to normalcy, embedding creative collaboration can be a freeing, fun, and meaningful way to rebuild students’ sense of community. 

Students are most available for learning when they are affirmed, valued, and feel a sense of belonging—it is key to cultivating deep connections. The arts can significantly enhance students’ learning experience, whether they are enjoying others’ art or creating art forms of their own. Using the arts to cultivate a culture of connection in support of student success is a win-win.

To explore more K-12 arts integrated lessons, visit the Related Resources section at the bottom of this page or Lesson & Activities from the Digital Learning Resources Library.

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