27 Fun Conflict Resolution Activities for Kids

Conflict is a natural part of life. But with kids, solving problems can get tricky. Playground squabbles and fights with friends can be disheartening, but they’re also moments for growth. Introducing fun conflict resolution activities for kids can help them build “muscle memory” for healthy, constructive responses to everyday obstacles.

In this article, we’ll outline 27 fun activities to help your child become a confident and empathetic problem-solver.

What is Conflict Resolution?

Conflict resolution is the process of finding mutually acceptable solutions or a compromise to disagreements. Engaging in conflict resolution means addressing the root causes of a problem and negotiating to find common ground. To resolve conflicts, children must learn to communicate effectively, empathize with others, compromise, and problem-solve.

Children who learn how to resolve conflicts early on are more self-reliant, confident, and resilient [*]. When they are introduced to conflict resolution in early childhood, they develop greater emotional intelligence, become better friends, and learn healthy ways to address challenges.

Activities remove the pressure of real-life conflict resolution, which allows kids to practice their skills in a safe, engaging space. Hands-on activities like role-playing create memorable and relatable scenarios that children can apply with their peers. They also make conflict resolution fun and natural.

27 Fun Conflict Resolution Activities for Kids

Stressful situations don’t have to stay stressful. Try these conflict resolution activities for kids to turn good communication, empathy, and negotiation into healthy habits.

1. Role-Playing

Role-playing involves taking on the identity and actions of another person to explore a specific situation. It’s most effective when simulating real-life scenarios that your child might encounter in school or with friends.

Role playing is an effective tool for teaching conflict resolution because it provides a practical and hands-on way to explore different behaviors, consequences, and perspectives. It exercises a child’s ability to communicate and reach a middle ground.

2. “I” Statements

Kids can use “I” statements to express their feelings and needs from a personal perspective. These statements help them avoid sounding accusatory or blaming others and encourage healthy communication instead of defensiveness.

Using “I” statements encourages children to take responsibility and ownership of their emotions. For example, instead of saying, “You make me so mad!” a child can say, “I feel mad when you do this,” to avoid making the other person defensive.

3. Pass the Talking Stick

Talking sticks provide a simple way to facilitate respectful discussions and structured communication. They can be made from anything—a pillow, stuffed animal, flag, or anything you have at home.

The most immediate benefit of a talking stick is that it enforces turn-taking and reminds children not to interrupt each other when discussing a conflict. It ensures everyone’s voice is heard and promotes calm and thoughtful communication.

4. Mirror Emotions

Someone who “mirrors” emotions can recreate and understand body language and facial expressions that reflect a specific feeling. For example, a child might know that tension in the shoulders represents stress or that being slumped over indicates someone is tired or sad.

You can teach kids to mirror emotions as a way of developing empathy by creating shared experiences. Mirroring emotions with your child through co-regulation can also improve their ability to calm down during stressful moments.

5. Lego Blocks

Legos are a familiar part of most people’s childhoods—they are building blocks that can be connected in countless ways to create interesting structures.

You can use them to facilitate conflict resolution activities through collaborative building or role-playing with minifigures.

6. Group Puzzle

Group puzzles, such as jigsaws or escape rooms, require cooperation and communication to solve. Age-appropriate group puzzles might include building blocks, strategy games, or physical puzzles.

These types of puzzles require children to communicate concisely and listen actively. They also promote cooperation above competition. When conflicts arise, children are motivated to resolve them.

7. Tower Building

Tower building is a collaborative activity that engages children in building the tallest, most stable, or most creative tower. Children can use Lego, wooden blocks, or other types of blocks available.

This fun activity promotes shared goals and encourages children to listen to everyone’s suggestions. Occasionally, the tower might fall, which provides an opportunity to teach resilience.

8. Human Knot

The human knot is a team-building game in which a group of kids stand in a circle, reach in, and grab the hands of two different people to create a knot. Then, the group must untangle itself without letting go of anyone’s hands.

This activity creates a fun cooperative challenge that teaches kids that everyone’s success depends on their ability to work together.

9. Cooperative Drawing

Cooperative drawing involves two or more kids working together to create a single piece of art. The process might involve taking turns adding lines or assigning roles, such as a “drawer” and “painter.”

Cooperative drawing offers a simple, low-pressure, and tangible approach to practicing conflict resolution. As children work together, they learn each other’s unique artistic styles and develop a sense of shared ownership once they deliver the final product.

10. Conflict Resolution Wheel

A conflict resolution or problem-solving wheel is divided into “slices” that provide children with concrete options for how to resolve an issue. These choices might include walking away, writing an apology note, making a deal, or using “I” statements.

Conflict resolution wheels provide a menu of choices when children are unsure how to handle a situation. They also empower children to become independent and less reliant on adult intervention.

11. “What Would You Do?” Cards

“What Would You Do” cards outline brief scenarios with open-ended questions. For example, one card might say, “You feel like you have to do more chores than your sibling and feel this is unfair. What would you say to your parents?”

These cards help introduce specific real-life conflicts your child is likely to encounter. They can also help children differentiate between big and small problems.

12. Win-Win Chart

Win-win or mutual gains charts are typically divided into two columns: My Needs and Your Needs. This is a visual tool that helps children brainstorm solutions to a conflict so that everyone benefits.

Instead of focusing on right and wrong, children can take each other’s perspectives and consider what steps to take to ensure everyone is happy.

13. “Choose the Ending” Stories

“Choose the ending” stories are a form of interactive storytelling with multiple outcomes that children can choose from. Each choice results in a different conclusion.

These stories provide a good opportunity to teach children about cause and effect. For example, if two characters encounter a dilemma and your child chooses to yell, the other character may become upset, and neither will come to a solution. However, if your child chooses to take turns brainstorming a solution, then they can come to a healthy agreement.

14. Feelings Charades

This take on charades requires children to act out different emotions while others guess what they’re trying to portray.

This activity helps children develop emotional intelligence by enabling them to identify and name their feelings. It also enhances their non-verbal communication by encouraging them to pay attention to body language and facial expressions.

15. Calm Down Jars

You can create Calm Down Jars with your child by filling a clear jar with water or glue and mixing in glitter for a relaxing sensory effect. When your child encounters a stressful situation, they can use the Calm Down Jar to ground themselves.

In the heat of a conflict, Calm Down Jars can create a physical pause for children to prevent an emotional spiral. They can provide a safe distraction from immediate conflict and allow your child to respond kindly and positively.

16. Breathing Buddy Exercise

A breathing buddy can be your child’s favorite stuffed animal, which they will hug tight and place close to their belly as they breathe in and out.

Breathing buddies teach children to calm their nervous systems when they feel emotionally heightened during a disagreement. Your child can connect with their body and identify whether they are angry, frustrated, or sad.

Related: 13 Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids

17. Empathy Circle

Often used in a classroom setting, the Empathy Circle encourages kids to take turns sharing their emotions and responding to each other.

This simple activity promotes active listening and encourages kids to focus on the other person, which is crucial when de-escalating conflict.

18. Rock-Paper-Scissors

This classic game provides surprisingly fair and simple solutions or ways to make quick decisions.

Introducing this game as a conflict resolver eliminates the need for lengthy discussions and can help settle minor disagreements quickly.

19. Tug-of-War

Tug-of-war isn’t just a fun backyard game—it can be an important lesson in understanding how a win-lose approach is futile.

You can use tug-of-war as a metaphor to explain how, when both sides are pulling against each other during a conflict, everyone ends up using all their energy to try to get their way.

20. Musical Chairs

In its classic form, musical chairs crowns only one winner. Like with tug-of-war, teachers can use this game to explain win-lose mentalities and how they can be harmful.

You can turn this game into a tool for conflict resolution by making it collaborative. Instead of eliminating a person as each chair is removed, have each child find creative ways to fit more than one person in the remaining chairs.

21. Conflict Freeze

A “conflict freeze” refers to how a child might “freeze up” in response to conflict. While not explicitly an activity, you can explore why your child might feel “stuck” when they feel threatened or forced to come up with a solution to a problem.

Help kids recognize when they start to freeze and what they can do to address the physical symptoms involved.

22. Board Games

Board games provide a tangible framework for practicing conflict resolution through collaboration and communication. They teach children how to follow rules and how to handle winning and losing.

Board games that incorporate elements of trading, bartering, and negotiating can equip children with essential real-life skills that often require compromise.

23. Compliment Chain

A compliment chain is a group activity in which participants take turns giving genuine compliments to the person next to them.

Compliment chains build positive and supportive foundations in friendships, which create trust and encourage children to problem-solve together.

24. Storytelling Circle

Storytelling circles involve taking turns telling and completing a story together. It creates a safe space for empathy and understanding.

Hearing stories from others can make children feel more connected and empathetic toward one another. Children learn that everyone experiences conflict and that there are many ways to solve them.

25. Class Contract Activity

Class contracts make for structured and respectful classrooms. Together, students can develop a reasonable list of rules that promote a healthy learning environment.

By participating in creating these rules, children gain a sense of ownership and responsibility. They can hold each other accountable while the list provides a reference for fair interactions.

26. Peer Mediation

Instead of expecting teachers to intervene in every conflict, peer mediation can equip children to undergo a structured problem-solving process.

Children can work together to find a mutually agreeable solution. When children work together to resolve a problem, they take ownership of their actions and are less likely to cause the same conflict again.

27. Emotion Sorting Cards

Emotion sorting cards feature a picture and an emotion. For example: happy, sad, or angry. These simple tools help younger children expand their emotional vocabularies.

Regularly engaging with emotion sorting cards helps children connect with their feelings, which in turn enables them to recognize specific emotions in others. This activity enhances emotional literacy, a foundational skill for effective problem-solving.

The Bottom Line

Conflict isn’t something your child should avoid or be afraid of. Instead, they can understand it as an essential part of growing up. Teaching a child how to deal with conflict is about building a foundation for healthy relationships, so why not make it fun?

Explore our other social skills worksheets to discover simple and exciting ways to help your child build character.

Sources:

1. Angu R. “The Effects of Peer Conflict Resolution Skills Training on Children’s Psychosocial Development.” Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 2020.