Resolving Conflicts Positively

Overview

This 30-minute session is the final lesson in the unit Building Positive Relationships aimed at Year 2 students (ages 6-7). It focuses on equipping children with fundamental conflict resolution strategies to maintain healthy relationships. Through interactive role-play, guided discussion, and reflection, students will develop problem-solving skills aligned with the UK PSHE Association Programme of Study and the Personal and Social Development strand of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, all children will be able to:

• Identify simple steps to resolve disagreements calmly and respectfully.
• Demonstrate basic problem-solving skills through role-play scenarios.
• Recognise the importance of listening, sharing feelings, and agreeing on solutions to maintain friendships.
• Reflect on how resolving conflicts positively strengthens bonds.

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Curriculum Links

PSHE Association Programme of Study (Key Stage 1):

• Building relationships: Recognising and managing feelings, resolving conflicts constructively, and valuing friendships.
• Health and Wellbeing: Developing strategies for emotional regulation and empathy.

Early Years Foundation Stage - Personal, Social and Emotional Development:

• Managing feelings and behaviour.
• Making relationships.

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Resources Needed

• Emotion cards (happy, sad, angry, confused faces)
• Role-play cue cards with simple conflict scenarios (e.g. “Someone took your toy,” “You both want to play the same game”)
• A ‘peace corner’ or quiet space setup with cushions for reflection
• Whiteboard or large paper and markers
• Sticker rewards for participation

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Lesson Structure

1. Welcome and Introduction (5 minutes)

• Brief recap on building positive relationships from previous lessons (ask a couple of children to share one thing they learned).
• Introduce the lesson focus: “Today we’re learning how to solve problems when friends don’t agree!”
• Show emotion cards and encourage children to name times they have felt those emotions during a disagreement.

2. Guided Group Discussion: What is a Conflict? (5 minutes)

• Define conflict in age-appropriate language: “A conflict is when two people disagree or feel upset with each other.”
• Ask: “Why do conflicts happen?” (Expected answers: wanting the same toy, feeling sad, misunderstanding).
• Introduce 3 simple steps for resolving conflicts:
  1. Stop and listen
  2. Talk about feelings
  3. Find a solution together
• Write these on the board with visuals (e.g. ear for listening, heart for feelings, handshake for solving).

3. Role-Play Activity: Practising Conflict Resolution (15 minutes)

• Divide into pairs or triads, assign small conflict scenarios on cue cards.
• Encourage children to take turns acting out the roles, using the 3 steps. Model one example before splitting off.
• Teacher circulates, prompts gently with phrases such as: “What can you say to how your friend feels?”, “Can you think of a way to share or take turns?”
• After each role-play, gather brief feedback from the group: “What did you like about how they solved the problem?”
• Use stickers as encouragement for effort and positive behaviour.

4. Reflect and Share (3 minutes)

• Invite 2-3 children to share how resolving conflict felt or what they learned.
• Emphasise: “Solving problems nicely helps us keep good friends — even when we don’t agree.”
• Reinforce the message by summarising the 3 steps once again.

5. Closing and Transition (2 minutes)

• Praise the group for their teamwork and kindness.
• Introduce a simple class agreement poster: “We listen, use kind words, and solve problems together.”
• Explain this will help everyone work and play happily after the lesson.

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Assessment

• Informal formative assessment through observation of role-play participation and use of conflict resolution language.
• Note children’s ability to articulate feelings and suggest solutions during discussions.
• Provide verbal feedback highlighting individual strengths and suggest gentle prompts where necessary.

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Differentiation

• Support children who find communication challenging by pairing with empathetic peers or the teacher for modelling.
• Use visual emotion cards and sentence starters (“I feel… because…”, “Can we…?”) to scaffold language.
• Extend more confident children by encouraging them to suggest alternative solutions or explain why listening is important.

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Further Enrichment Ideas

• Create a “Friendship Toolbox” as a class with drawings or photos representing conflict resolution strategies used.
• Use emotion puppets or storytelling to explore feelings and problem-solving outside the role-plays.
• Set up a “Peace Patch” in the classroom where children can go when they need calm time to manage feelings.

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This carefully structured, highly engaging approach ensures that Year 2 pupils not only understand conflict resolution but also practise essential social skills in a supportive environment, reinforcing the unit’s goal of building positive relationships.