Activity
Conflict Resolution: The Puzzle Problem
One day, Ali and Sara were playing with a big puzzle. Ali wanted to make a house, but Sara wanted to make a castle.
How this story builds conflict resolution
This page links the story The Puzzle Problem from the EAST Grade 1-3 books to the life skill Conflict Resolution. Teachers can use the story to start a short class talk, ask children how the characters showed this skill, and connect it to a real moment from their own day. Parents can do the same at home after reading the story together.
Story / Main Text
One day, Ali and Sara were playing with a big puzzle. Ali wanted to make a house, but Sara wanted to make a castle. They both pulled the pieces and started to get frustrated. Their teacher, Miss Aisha, saw them and gently asked them to stop.
Miss Aisha sat them down and said, “Ali and Sara, let’s try something called ‘listening’ and ‘sharing.’” She asked Ali to tell Sara what he wanted. Ali said he wanted to make a house. Then, Sara shared her idea of a castle.
Miss Aisha suggested, “How about making a house *and* a castle together?” Ali and Sara agreed and put the puzzle pieces together. They were happy, and the puzzle looked amazing!
Questions
Fill in the blank: When Ali and Sara wanted different things, Miss Aisha taught them to ________.
- A. Argue - B. Share - C. Ignore
True or False: Ali and Sara solved their problem by listening to each other.
Fill in the blank: Solving a disagreement by listening and sharing is called ________.
- A. Fighting - B. Winning - C. Conflict resolution
What did Miss Aisha suggest to help Ali and Sara solve their problem?
- A. Make a castle only - B. Build the puzzle together - C. Take the puzzle away
Fill in the blank: Conflict resolution means finding a way to make everyone feel ________.
- A. Ignored - B. Happy - C. Left out
Activity
Make a group of two. Imagine you both want to draw on the same big piece of paper, but one of you wants to draw a beach, and the other wants to draw a park. Talk to each other about how you can combine your ideas. Try to come up with one big picture that includes both a beach and a park. Share your drawing with the class and explain how you worked together!