Conflict Resolution Activities

Here is a list of five to ten minute activities that are intended to promote positive community-building. In all activities, students should have the opportunity to pass if they so desire. A. Anger Ball-Toss Find a soft ball. Have the class stand in a circle. Begin by completing the sentence, "I feel angry when ..." As for a volunteer who is willing to restate what you !ust said. "oss that student the ball. "hat student restates what you said, then completes the sentence for herself. #he then tosses the ball to someone else, who repeats what she said, then completes the sentence for himself, and so on. B. Feelings Check-ln $ass out mar ers and %&' inde& cards. As each student to write on the card in large letters one word that describes how he or she is feeling right now. "hen as students to hold up their cards and loo at the variety of responses. $oint out how rare it is for different people to bring the same feelings to an e&perience or situation. Invite students to share why they wrote down the words that they did. (. "I Got What I Wanted ..." Have students complete the following sentence) "A time I got something I wanted was when ..." *. I Represent Conflict $lace yourself in the middle of the room and say, "Imagine that I represent conflict. "hin about how you usually react when you e&perience a conflict personally or witness a conflict happening nearby. "hen place yourself, in relation to me, somewhere in the room in a way that indicates your first response to conflict or disagreement. "hin about your body position, the direction that you+re facing, and the distance from conflict." ,nce students have found a position relative to you in the room, as individuals to e&plain why they are standing where they are. -ou might also want to as , "If this represents your first reaction, what might your second reaction be, after thin ing about the conflict." /. utting !p a Fight 0o around the group and have students answer) "1hat is something you have that you would put up a serious fight for--even ris your life for--if someone tried to ta e it away." 2"his can be a material thing, li e a gold chain, or something intangible, li e a good reputation.3 "hen as ) "1hy is this so important to you." F. "tanding !p Have students describe a time they felt they were being ta en advantage of and they stood up for themselves. 0. What Color is Conflict# (ut up a large 4uantity of 5&5 construction-paper s4uares in a wide variety of colors. Be sure to have plenty of red, blac , brown, and gray. As each student to choose a color or group of colors that she thin s represents conflict. /ither in the large group or in smaller groups of five or si&, have participants share the colors they chose and why they chose them. 2If you split up into smaller groups, come bac together at the end and have volunteers share with the whole group which colors they chose and why.3 H. "What Would $ou %o ...#" 0o around the group as ing each student to respond to this 4uestion) "If you saw a fight starting in the street between two people you didn+t now at all, what would you do." I. "When I&' in a Conflict..." 0o around the group, as ing each student to complete the sentence, "1hen I get into a conflict, I usually ..." /&cerpted from Conflict Resolution in the High School by (arol 6iller 7ieber with 7inda 7antieri and "om 8oderic .