I f teachers and parents learn to understand children's earliest peer conflicts, they will be in a better position to help young children break the current cycle of widespread violence. Traditionally, many adults have viewed conflicts between children as undesirable and have tried to prevent them or to intervene.
Parents too can focus on helping their children develop such strategies.
Issues include control of the physical or social environment, such as control of objects or physical space. Conflict strategies include physical and verbal tactics that can be both aggressive and nonaggressive. Nonaggressive physical strategies include taking a toy or entering a play space. Verbal strategies range from simple opposition to complex reasoning and negotiation. Researchers have explored the relationships among the issues, strategies, and outcomes of children's conflicts.