About this resource
Making things right is a skill. These visual steps guide children to stop, calm their body, think about what happened and how others felt, apologise when ready, help fix the problem and try again. A short reflection helps them plan.
Purpose
To guide children through repairing relationships after a conflict or mistake.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Educators and school support staff. Also relevant for youth workers, counsellors and therapists.
Client or participant group: Children aged about 5 to 12.
Practice setting: Classrooms, playgrounds and school wellbeing settings.
Suggested uses
- Restorative conversations
- Playground conflicts
- Classroom displays
- Social-emotional learning lessons
Instructions for practitioners
- Wait until the child is calm.
- Use the steps as a guide, not a script.
- Do not force apologies; support sincere ones.
- Follow up and notice repair efforts.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Follow the steps in order.
- Take your time to calm down.
- Think of a way to help fix it.
Accessibility considerations
Use with symbols or photos. Steps can be cut out and used one at a time.
Scope and limitations
A general classroom visual support. It is not a disciplinary procedure.
Research basis
School-based social and emotional learning programs improve students' social skills, behaviour and academic results.
- Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Symbols are original line drawings created for Practitioner Plus.
