Helping your child build positive relationships and manage conflict

Last updated: January 24, 2025

It’s human nature to want to feel loved, valued, and noticed by others, so it’s hardly surprising that there’s a direct link between our relationships and our health and well-being. As a parent/caregiver, you play an important role in helping your child to develop healthy relationships.

How can I help my child develop healthy relationship skills?  

It starts with the parent-child connection. Developing a strong, supportive relationship with your child helps them feel loved and safe.  

To help your child build these skills, try the following:   

• Encourage your child to express their feelings according to their stage of development.
  • Share a situation that invoked a particular emotion (e.g. happiness, sadness, fear) and invite your child to do the same.  
  • Encourage your child to name their own emotions throughout the day.  

• Respect your child’s feelings. 
  • Don’t assume how they’re feeling; ask them.  
    • Let them experience the emotion without jumping in to fix it.  

• Help your child understand their own, and other people’s feelings.  
  • Draw together. Ask your child to draw people feeling different emotions. 
  • Discuss why the characters may feel that way.   

How can I help my child to navigate conflict? 

All relationships have conflicts at times. Learning to manage conflict with peers is a core part of your child’s social development. 

• Tackle feelings first. Help them identify a feeling and ask them to reflect on why. Validate and accept your child’s feelings.   
• Pinpoint the source of conflict. Help your child get to the root of the issue so they can resolve the problem. 
• Brainstorm solutions. Empower your child to come up with their own ideas. Encourage them to step back and see the whole picture rather than jump to conclusions.  
• Help your child communicate their feelings about the conflict. Teach them to use “I” statements. Focusing on “I” and not “you” removes shame and blame from the other person. 
• Role-play with your child. Act out situations and conversations to instill confidence in them.   

Understanding how to develop healthy relationships can also help your child to notice signs of unhealthy relationships.  

• It is important for your child to understand and identify when their experiences in schools require intervention and support from staff. 
• It is important to support your child in understanding what behaviours are unacceptable, including bullying, harassment, and any forms of discrimination.  
• If you feel that your child is experiencing bullying or harassment at school, it is important to be an advocate or support their self-advocacy.-advocacy by informing school staff of concerns. 

Note: Please see the PDF version for further descriptions and information

Helpful resources

• Bullying: For Parents and Caregivers
• Healthy Relationships vs Unhealthy Relationships