Do you remember how much you looked up to your Big Buddy when you were younger? I still remember how much I did and how excited I was to do activities with them! In the Little Buddy/Big Buddy Program, Kindergarten students and 1st graders are able to interact and do activities with the 4th, 5th, or 6th graders. This program has always been a great aspect of our school community because it benefits both the Big Buddies and Little Buddies. A few weeks ago, I visited the Senior Kindergarten classes to see what those students thought of the program. I pulled a couple students aside and asked them what THEY thought of the program based on their experiences.

According to Senior Kindergartner Caroline in Mrs. Liebenthal’s class, “I like Big Buddies because we get to do fun stuff with them! We get to go to church with them and read. They teach us new things and are really nice.”

It is important that there is a strong connection between the different ages in our school. Not only does it benefit the Little Buddies by learning from Big Buddies, but it is very important for the Big Buddies to learn how to interact with the little kids. Senior Kindergarten student Zach says, “I like being with my Big Buddies because they like the same stuff that I do. They both like monsters and Star Wars like me. We get to read Star Wars books. I like how they come back every week.” This teaches the kids that no matter what age, you can still have a lot in common with another person, and getting to know people in a different age is another reason that makes this program such a unique learning experience.

A few weeks ago, the Senior Kindergarten class did bear activities with their big buddies. They colored in bear pictures and read picture books about them.  Because they were learning about bears in school, being able to learn new things from older kids was important.  Eighth grader Maeve Devine said, “This program is so special because without it, there would be no connection with the younger and older kids! It is an amazing experience to have that interaction. I had a great experience in both roles [Little and Big Buddies].”  Giving the younger kids role models and the older kids a chance to work with younger kids is why this program is so special and beneficial to our community.

I also talked to 4th graders Natalie and Stella. I asked them what is different about doing the activities as a Big Buddy compared to a Little Buddy, because this is their first year as Big Buddies. “Now we realize how much more work it is to be a Big Buddy, because it is a big job to keep them well behaved, like in church.” Stella also said, “It is hard to be patient with them and not do all the work for them!” This is an important skill for Big Buddies to learn! They also told me how they learned how important it is to behave really well as Big Buddies because “we remember how much we looked up to everything our Big Buddies did when we were little.”

Correction:  In a previous version, the article stated the author had visited both the Senior Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten classes.  She only met with Senior Kindergarten classes.  Only Senior Kindergarten students studied bears.