CCE · Primary 1

Active learning ideas

Resolving Conflicts Peacefully

Primary 1 students learn best when they experience conflict resolution in action, not just by listening. These activities let children try out calm breathing, clear talking, and fair sharing in safe, guided situations where mistakes become learning moments. Active practice builds both skills and confidence to use these strategies outside the classroom.

• MOE Syllabus Outcomes
• MOE: Conflict Resolution - P1
• MOE: Respect and Harmony - P1

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 35 min · Pairs

Role-Play: Playground Disagreements

Prepare scenario cards with common P1 conflicts, such as taking turns on swings. Pairs act out the problem, then resolve it using calm talk, listening, and compromise. Follow with a whole-class share-out of what worked best.

Analyze different approaches to resolving a conflict with a friend.

Facilitation Tip

Before the Role-Play: Playground Disagreements, assign simple roles and props so students focus on the steps rather than inventing dialogue under pressure.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario, for example: 'Two friends want to play with the same ball.' Ask them to show with their thumbs up if they think talking it out is a good idea, and thumbs down if walking away is better. Then ask: 'What is one thing you could say to your friend?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 25 min · Whole Class

Conflict Resolution Circle

Gather the class in a circle. Share a real or sample conflict. Each student suggests one peaceful strategy, like 'share the toy,' and explains why it helps. Pass a talking stick to ensure everyone speaks.

Evaluate the effectiveness of compromise in reaching a fair solution.

Facilitation Tip

During the Conflict Resolution Circle, keep turns short and structured so every voice is heard and students practice active listening without losing focus.

What to look for

Show two short role-plays of conflict resolution. One shows shouting and grabbing, the other shows talking and taking turns. Ask students: 'Which way was more peaceful? How did the children in the second video solve their problem? What did they do differently?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 30 min · Small Groups

Compromise Card Game

Create cards with paired conflicts and solutions. Small groups draw cards, discuss, and vote on the fairest compromise. Groups present their choices and reasons to the class.

Construct a dialogue demonstrating peaceful conflict resolution.

Facilitation Tip

For the Compromise Card Game, model one round aloud using a think-aloud to show how to compare interests before suggesting solutions.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a simple conflict, like 'You want to draw with blue crayon, but your friend has it.' Ask them to write or draw one thing they could say to solve the problem peacefully.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 40 min · Individual

Peaceful Dialogue Draw

Individually, students draw a comic strip of a conflict with a friend and its peaceful resolution. Pairs share drawings and practice the dialogue aloud before class gallery walk.

Analyze different approaches to resolving a conflict with a friend.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario, for example: 'Two friends want to play with the same ball.' Ask them to show with their thumbs up if they think talking it out is a good idea, and thumbs down if walking away is better. Then ask: 'What is one thing you could say to your friend?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with calm-down strategies first because students need to regulate emotions before problem-solving begins. Use visuals like a traffic light—red for stop and breathe, yellow for sharing feelings, green for suggesting ideas—to make the sequence concrete. Avoid skipping the listening step; it is the bridge between feeling understood and finding solutions. Research shows young children often mimic adult language, so phrase your own examples positively: 'I feel disappointed when the tower falls' instead of 'You ruined my tower.'

Successful learning looks like students using the steps they practiced—deep breaths, 'I feel' statements, listening, and compromises—during role-plays and games. They should show they understand why peaceful solutions work better than shouting or walking away, and they should volunteer ideas without constant teacher prompts.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Playground Disagreements, watch for students who expect you to solve every conflict for them.

  During the same activity, step back after setting the scene and remind students, 'You are the ones who will solve this together. Try one of the calm-down steps first, then talk about what happened.'

• During the Compromise Card Game, watch for students who think the game is about claiming the most cards.

  During the game, pause to ask, 'Did both players get something they wanted? How did you decide?' to steer attention to fair sharing rather than winning.

• During Peaceful Dialogue Draw, watch for students who draw yelling or pushing as quick solutions.

  During the drawing, point to the calm face on the worksheet and ask, 'Show me how the child felt after talking instead. What did their body look like? What did their friend’s face look like?' to reinforce the emotional difference.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Role Play