Even if we wanted to encourage the friendships how could we do it? Are 5th graders too old for playdates?
While forms of entertainment may vary locally, at around that age girls may be socializing by practicing a sport or taking an extracurricular together... soccer, swim team, dance class (jazz, tap, ballet), children's choir, tae kwan do, lego, robotics, scouts, 4-H, math camp, Destination Imagination, Odyssey of the Mind, are just a few ways to get to know older classmates. Does your school or community offer these or other similar activities? A parent could offer to carpool or take turns driving children. Meanwhile invitations to birthday parties and sleepovers or slumber parties are for a child's close circle of friends, and may eventually be a way to include friends from both grades (some of whom may have siblings in the other grade).
