Teaching Your Child Conflict Resolution Skills

Conflict happens, whether it is at daycare, in high school, or at the office. It is important to learn conflict resolution skills from a young age in order to cope with this inevitability of life. At Foundations for Learning, we make a point to teach all of our students how to resolve conflict in a peaceful and respectful way. However, these lessons must also be translated into their home lives. In this blog, we will go over ways you can endow your child with the conflict resolution skills they need in order to succeed.

Discuss Emotions

One of the most important aspects of conflict resolution is the ability to empathize. Children can only resolve conflict when they can understand the emotions of the other child. From the moment your child is born, it is wise to adopt a vocabulary that features many “feelings” words so your child can grasp how important feelings are. When you feel sad or happy or frustrated, vocalize them while demonstrating them with your facial expression and body language. It also helps to point out emotions when you see them; for example, if another child is crying on the playground, explain to your child why he is acting that way. This gives your child the vocabulary of empathy, and also helps them identify emotions within themselves.

Make Rules For Resolution

There should always be expectations for children, particularly when there is a disagreement. Teach them from a young age that physically hitting another person and calling them names is not an acceptable way to handle conflict. Make rules about how they are to resolve conflict that center around them using their words, not their fists, and this will set the foundation for how much they succeed in resolving future conflicts peacefully.

Set an Example

It doesn’t matter if you tell your child to never hit another person or call them names; if you are doing it, then your child is going to mimic you. Your words mean nothing without the behavior to back them up. If you want your child to peacefully resolve conflict, resolve conflict peacefully yourself. Children learn through observation, so practice what you preach.

Make Them Solve Their Own Problems

If you want your child to resolve their own conflicts, they need practice. Don’t rush to their rescue at the slightest sign of a fight. Let them work it out for themselves. If it seems they are at an impasse, you can help it along by asking them questions to guide them through the basic steps of conflict resolution. Allow each child to speak about how they feel, and then ask them to identify the problem and potential solutions. Once they agree upon a solution, let them put it into action to make sure everything is at peace again.

Foundations for Learning is a daycare in South Windsor that can provide your child with the skills they need to succeed in the future. If you are looking for child care in Connecticut, come schedule a tour of our facility today!