Research studies have shown that one-on-one interventions, such as cross-age mentoring programs, can help promote positive social behaviors and peer relations in young children.

The AIM Buddy Project uses the mentoring platform to encourage older and younger students to take part in rich discussions and thoughtful reflections around five important topics—empathy, honesty, forgiveness, generosity, and learning from others.

The dynamic cross-age buddy sessions scheduled throughout the year give students multiple opportunities to discuss the topics. But at the same time, students are getting multiple opportunities to build and experience positive peer relationships with their buddies. Many studies show that these positive peer relationships offer multiple benefits to both big and little buddies––including increased self-esteem, stronger friendships, positive classroom behaviors, and character development.

The benefits of buddy pair collaborations are not constrained to the buddy pairs. Listen as AIM Little Buddy teacher, Maureen Cronin describes how the benefits of using buddy programs extends beyond the buddy pairs and into the whole school environment.