How Do You Help Children Learn To Solve Conflicts?
Children naturally engage in conflicts. As a parent with more than one child, or a professional who works with children, it can be difficult to know what to do when children are fighting over a toy or squabbling about who gets to go out the door first. But there are some simple steps that actually teach children how to handle conflicts appropriately, that may even result in less tears. Acknowledge feelings. When children are fighting over something, there are often a lot of emotions involved. When children are upset, first acknowledge this fact by saying, “I see that you are both very angry about this.” As with adults, most often children want their feelings to be validated. If we begin by saying, “Stop crying” or “Be quiet,” we will only make the situation worse by angering the children further. Validating children’s feelings on the other hand, can serve to help children begin to calm down because they will know they are understood. Describe the problem. Once children have calmed down
