Noting that peaceable classrooms grow out of understanding how children develop ideas about peace, conflict, and violence, this guide is intended to help early childhood educators create a classroom where preschool through grade 3 children learn peaceful alternatives to the violent behaviors modeled for them in society. The guide is based on the…

Suggests actions that teachers can take to challenge the use of violence by children. Actions include providing early intervention and teaching specific skills to help children resolve conflicts. Discusses adaptation to children's developmental levels and creation of classroom contexts supportive of nonviolence. (LB)

Many early childhood teachers report an increase in children's use of aggressive means to work out disputes, often as a result of such influences as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fad. This article offers suggestions for helping children learn ways to resolve conflicts and for creating a conflict resolution curriculum. (LB)