Connecting with children after conflict

Posted 16th June 2017
Connecting with children after conflict

Attention Parents/Carers and Teachers!!

Do you want a NOVEL activity to do with your kids after conflict at home or school?

My eldest children are 10 and 12 and regularly disagree, sometimes it’s about clothes left on the bathroom floor, other times it’s whose turn it is to feed the animals. My way of stopping the argument had been the same for years and as you can probably guess, nothing changed and I felt like each day was Groundhog Day… Until I started using this activity.

I’ve called it “What Happened” which I know is a pretty lame name but the results were far from lame.

Let me explain
After one more of our 10 and 12 year old yelling matches, I took this sheet and sat down with one of them while the other one went for a shower. We pulled out the pencils and started colouring-in together. I used the questions on the sheet and tried not to say anything else. The reflections of my 10 year old were incredible!!!

This is what I learnt…
• Colouring with me lowed his anger immediately
• He felt listened to
• He learnt more from his own reflection than anything I said
• The issue was solved by them after we finished colouring

I must admit I’m feeling a little chuffed with my results and of course things haven’t changed completely, we are no Brady Bunch, but I do feel like this little gem has connected me with my children and has taught them more about respect and resolving conflict than my previous little chats.

So click here

Send me the Conflict Activity and I will send you What Happened – give it a go, it’s no miracle cure but it’s a little something novel you can use to help with conflict.

Please share

By Jo Crowley

Author and creator of Colour My Story


About the Author

Jo Crowley
Jo Crowley is an Australian author, mother of four, and primary school teacher. Jo is the creator of “Colour My Story,” a series of books that use storytelling, colouring-in and conversation to help adults connect with children during change and difficult times.