Do you notice your child getting into arguments?

Most children will get into an argument at some point. Even though parents might see this as a negative thing, these incidents serve as fantastic learning opportunities. If your child learns conflict resolution techniques at a young age, they’ll be able to navigate future issues in a more successful manner, both at home and in learning settings.

Below, we’ll get into how you can teach peaceful conflict resolution skills to your child. Keep reading to learn more!

Stopping the Conflict

When the conflict happens, some children react by shutting down, while others shout and escalate the situation. Both reactions are completely normal, but the best conflict resolution happens when kids learn to stick up for themselves in a calm manner.

So, whenever a conflict occurs, teach your kid to pause and consider what they want to say. Then, ask them to say it as calmly as possible. 

That way, the situation doesn’t get more heated, but your child doesn’t run the risk of bottling their emotions.

Calming Down

As soon as possible, your child should take a break. Teach them to do something that calms them down. Encourage them not to bring up the conflict again until they’re no longer angry. 

During this phase, they should think about what they want to say to the other person.

Talking

Once your child has regained their sense of calm, they can approach the other person and talk to them if they want to. 

Tell them to focus on communicating how the other person’s actions made them feel without rekindling their anger. They might say something like, “I felt ____ when you said what you said. In the future, please do ___ instead.”

Then, the other person will have a chance to respond. 

Repair

Your child might also want to repair the relationship after the argument. If this is the case, they should discuss solutions with the other person. 

These solutions might include actions they’re going to take to prevent what happened from occurring again.

They may also choose to focus on the other person’s positive qualities or do a favorite activity together. This will re-build friendship.

Model Healthy Conflict Resolution

Studies show that children learn their behavior from the adults around them. So, if you have a child in your house, make sure every conflict is handled in a mature way. 

This includes the conflicts that don’t involve that child. If you have a disagreement with your partner, for example, follow the steps above to resolve a conflict. That way, your child will pick up on some of these behaviors naturally.

Need an Educational Program for Your Children?

Good conflict resolution skills come in handy in a wide variety of settings, and your child can use these skills to navigate relationships as they get older.

If you want your child to build healthy relationships and grow their minds, you need to enroll them in the right program. We offer learning settings for nursery, toddler, and preschool-aged children.

Want to learn more about how we will help your child thrive? Contact us today!