Young children have difficulty processing information about others. They may not correctly identify the feelings of another based on facial expressions. You can use pictures of faces to help a preschooler through first-grader identify expressions. Ask a child to think about how she would feel in a specific set of circumstances. Have the child look at her expression in the mirror and match it to the expression on the face of another. Have her tell you how she feels, and by extension, how the person in the picture might feel.
Read or tell stories about individuals in various circumstances. Have preschool through elementary children describe how they think the person in the story feels. Ask the children if someone can think of a time they felt a specific feeling and allow the child to tell his story. Get children to develop a habit of thinking how someone else feels or thinks before responding to a stressful situation.
Children may have difficulty accurately assessing threats. If a ball strikes a child on the playground, she might assume someone intentionally hit her. Teach her to stop, take several deep breaths, think and assess the situation before responding. She might turn around and realize the ball hit her by accident and return it to the kids playing with the ball. If another child targeted her, she might ask a teacher to intervene or ask the other child why she was hit.
Children learn aggressive behavior by watching others. They also learn peaceful behavior this way. Model the behavior you want to see and explain why you respond to situations in a specific way. Encourage students to model the kind of behavior they want to see. Incorporate rules in the classroom or at home such as speak politely to others, keeping body parts from striking others or following the "golden rule."
Give children the opportunity to think about situations and plan a response. You can accomplish this through role-play or telling stories. Emphasize the need for self-control and appropriate actions. Develop "if-then" strategies such as "if someone tries to bully me, I will respond by …" Provide the opportunity for the child to explore multiple options and choose the best outcome.