Considering the interaction between concrete and steel reinforcement in numerical simulationsof reinforced concrete structures is crucial for accurately capturing the concrete cracking process. This is particularly interesting when studying structures fulfilling functions that go beyondtheir simple mechanical resistance, such as waterproofing functions. While three-dimensional(3D) volumetric finite element modeling offers detailed insights into structural behavior,its computational intensity becomes prohibitive for large-scale structures. In such contexts,adopting beam and plate elements formulations proves computationally more efficient, dueto their reduced number of degrees of freedom. This paper presents a kinematic enhancementtechnique designed to integrate steel-concrete interface behavior into beam and plate finiteelement formulations. The approach combines classical beam or plate elements representingconcrete behavior, conventional beam or truss elements modeling steel reinforcement, and theincorporation of bond stresses at the interface. The paper provides comprehensive explanationsof this enhancement technique along with a curated selection of numerical validation andapplication examples. These examples are supplemented by a comparison with experimentaldata, illustrating the efficiency of the proposed enhancement approach