Conflict is an inevitable part of life, even for children. However, resolving conflict among children with larger-than-life emotions can be difficult. Often, they lack the skills to express these emotions. Teaching kids how to resolve disagreements in the classroom helps them at school. It teaches them valuable life skills, such as problem-solving and emotional regulation, that they will carry throughout their lives.
Games are a fantastic way to teach children these concepts in an engaging and memorable way. By making these day-to-day skills fun and exciting, children of all ages learn to regulate emotions, problem-solve, and treat each other empathetically. Below are 10 fun and engaging teacher-approved conflict resolution games designed to foster communication and collaboration in children.
1. Role-Playing Scenarios
Role-playing is a powerful tool for helping children understand different perspectives. Create conflict scenarios (e.g., “Two friends who want the same toy”) and assign roles. Have each child play both roles, allowing them to “play” both sides. After acting out the scenario, guide a discussion about how the conflict was resolved, exploring alternative solutions.
Ask open-ended questions like, “How did it feel when your toy was taken away?” and “What could you have done differently?” This discussion encourages each child to think critically about their actions and understand how different approaches can lead to varying outcomes.
Provide props and costume pieces to immerse the children in their roles and make them more engaging. Encourage creativity by allowing them to come up with different scenarios and their own resolutions before discussing them with the group.
Why It Works
Role-playing allows children to imagine themselves in another person’s shoes. It helps them see conflict from other perspectives and builds confidence in their ability to handle real-life situations effectively.
2. The “I Feel” Game
The “I Feel” game teaches children to express their feelings constructively. Each child receives cards with feelings (happy, sad, frustrated, etc.). They take turns picking a card and constructing sentences like, “I feel [emotion] when [situation].” To add a collaborative element, pair kids up and have them share their sentences, encouraging them to offer supportive responses or suggest ways to address the feelings expressed. Additionally, you can incorporate a “feelings wheel” or chart for kids who may need help identifying emotions.
For older children, you can add an element with a reflection step. In this step, the children can discuss what actions or solutions might alleviate or enhance negative or positive feelings. This extra step can help reinforce problem-solving skills and foster a deeper understanding of emotional regulation.
Why It Works
By learning to articulate their feelings and be aware of others’ feelings, children can more effectively address and resolve conflict calmly without resorting to anger or avoidance. This game also builds emotional awareness, which is essential in resolving conflict.
3. Feelings Bingo
Creating Bingo cards with different emotions and conflict resolution strategies is a fun twist on a classic game. The cards can include basic emotions like “anger” or “sadness,” as well as resolution strategies like “take a deep breath” and “count backward from ten.” To make the game more dynamic, incorporate real-life scenarios that kids might face throughout the day, like “talk to the teacher if you need help” or “apologize when you’re wrong.”
Once a student gets Bingo, allow them to discuss with the group what they experienced and how it helped resolve conflicts. This reflection step will reinforce the learning and provide additional ideas for other children.
Why It Works
It’s a fun and interactive game that reinforces positive resolutions while providing real-world applications and encourages group reflection.
4. The Balloon Game
Each child writes a common source of conflict (e.g., “name-calling,” “pushing in line,” “not sharing”) on a piece of paper, places it in a balloon, and blows it up. The children then sit in a circle and pass the balloons around, taking turns popping them and reading what is inside. This activity requires children to explain someone else’s conflict, which opens them to discussion and puts them in another person’s shoes.
Why It Works
Children learn that all conflicts can be resolved constructively when they work as a team.
5. Team Puzzle Challenge
Put the children into separate groups, giving each group a puzzle, but intentionally include puzzle pieces from other groups. This game encourages the children to work together as they build the puzzle and have to negotiate with other teams to exchange their pieces.
While the children work together to build their puzzle, they must also be aware of the puzzles being constructed around them and notice which pieces are missing and which they may have from the other children’s puzzles.
Why It Works
This activity shows the value of teamwork and collaboration in smaller groups and in the classroom.
6. Conflict Resolution Pictionary
Divide the children into two teams. One child draws a conflict scenario on the board, and their team must try to identify it. Once identified, the team must discuss a possible resolution, allowing the other team to join. Points are awarded for identifying and solving the conflict.
This game will allow children to be creative as they focus on their peer’s emotions and situations they may not have experienced. It will enable them to see common conflicts among their friends and new issues that they have not yet dealt with themselves, setting them up for future success regarding conflict.
Why It Works
This game combines problem-solving with creativity, which makes it more engaging and helps children learn that conflict resolution can be fun.
7. Emotion Charades
Like Conflict Resolution Pictionary, the children will be split into two teams and act out a specific emotion. Others must guess the emotion and discuss situations where they might feel that way. For older children, you can even have them act out conflict scenarios. This game opens up the possibility that other children have the same emotions that they do, allowing them to view the world through the lens of others and focus on someone other than themselves.
Why It Works
Recognizing emotions in others that they have felt themselves allows the children to feel empathy, which is a crucial step in conflict resolution.
8. The Compromise Challenge
Section the children into pairs and give each pair a specific hypothetical conflict (e.g., choosing what game to play at recess or deciding the classroom activity). The children must find a compromise that satisfies both parties within a set time limit. Encourage them to actively listen to each other’s preferences and brainstorm possible solutions.
If they are having difficulty finding common ground, you can offer suggestions like, “What’s something you both enjoy?” or “Can you combine your choices into one?” After the activity, bring the entire class together to discuss what the strategies and compromises made them each feel.
Why It Works
This game reinforces negotiation skills and teaches kids that compromise is often necessary for resolving conflicts.
9. The Listening Circle
Arrange chairs in a circle and give a child a “talking stick.” The child holding the stick shares a conflict they have been involved in while the others listen without interrupting. The entire group may then discuss times they have been involved in similar conflicts and what they did to resolve them.
Why It Works
Active listening helps kids understand the importance of hearing others out before reacting. It also shows children that their peers often have similar feelings and have experienced the same issues they deal with.
10. Collaborative Tower Building
Divide the class into small groups and provide all the materials (blocks, paper cups, etc.) needed to build a tower. The catch is that no building material can be placed without everyone in the group’s agreement. If disagreements arise, the children must stop the tower’s construction and resolve the conflict, coming to a general agreement before continuing.
Why It Works
This activity emphasizes teamwork and communication, showing kids the importance of resolving conflicts to achieve a team goal.
Why Conflict Resolution Games Matter
Games make learning fun and help children develop and remember important life skills. Using games to teach conflict resolution allows children to learn in a low-stakes environment and resolve issues before they occur. By incorporating conflict resolution games into your curriculum or even in your own home, you can:
- Enhance Emotional Intelligence: Kids learn to recognize and manage their emotions.
- Improve Communication Skills: Activities emphasize the importance of clear, respectful dialogue.
- Foster Empathy: Children gain an understanding of others’ perspectives.
- Build Teamwork: Kids learn collaboration often leads to better outcomes than working alone.
With comprehensive de-escalation training for educators, teachers can help their students learn valuable life lessons, all while having fun and interacting with their peers in a positive and enlightening way.
Teaching conflict resolution through games equips kids with essential skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives. The activities listed above are engaging and foster key values like empathy, teamwork, and communication. By implementing these teacher-approved ideas, you’re helping children navigate disagreements with confidence and kindness.
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