One of the guiding principles in our room is that when conflicts arise, which they sometimes will, we need to use tools to help resolve them in a way that satisfies all involved. We call this a Win-Win Solution. Two resolutions we want to avoid are the Win-Lose and the Lose-Lose results. In those cases, one or both parties are left feeling unhappy. It's not easy for kids (or adults!) to reach a Win-Win Solution, so we use the Solution Stoplight to help us remember the steps to solve our problem.
The first light is red, which means to STOP! We remember that we need to stop the argument and cool down. We can take deep breaths, walk away, or count to 10. Only when we are calm can we work out a solution.
The next light is yellow, which means SLOW! That reminds us to brainstorm ideas that might work for everyone. We need to take our time and think through our ideas. We also have to remember to COMPROMISE! Once we find a solution that seems to be promising, we are ready to move on.
The last light is green, which means GO! We are ready to get back in and give the new solution a try. If it works, we can keep playing or working. If it doesn't, we can just jump back up to yellow and try one of our other ideas.
No one likes to have conflict in his life, but it is often unavoidable. Knowing how to handle a conflict and resolve it is a skill we can use our whole lives!