Peacemakers in Training

By Deborah Rowley

After you have told the story of the contention monster, you might want to follow up with some peacemaker training. I created these signs to help my children think of some possible solutions to some common problems in our home.

Then I created some word strips and my kids had to match the situation with one of the solutions that they thought would work best. We just lined up the five solutions on the floor and then placed the word strips below the solution we thought would work best.

Here are some examples:
The baby knocks down your block tower and you feel so angry inside.
Mom is frustrated because the kitchen is such a mess.
Dad is grumpy because he has had a hard day at work.
Your brother keeps teasing you and calling you names.
Your sister is crying because some kids made fun of her at school.

In each of these scenarios, we would ask: What would a peacemaker do?
There are no right or wrong answers. More than one peacemaker solution would work for each scenario. I just wanted my kids to think about what a peacemaker would do.

After we had this lesson, I would watch each child for signs of peacemaker behavior. Then I had this chart on the fridge and I would give one child the honor of being the peacemaker of the day. Dad would make a big deal out of this when he came home. It was a great way to recognize kids for doing something right for a change!

Peacemaker Training Signs

Scenario Word Strips