Hands are here to Help
Workshop on violence, conflict management and helpfulness
Focus area: Violence. Age: 10–14. SDG 16.1 – Reduce violence
Description:
“Hands are for Helping” works to make helpfulness concrete: how we can use our hands to support each other and resolve conflicts without violence. The workshop combines creative exercises, role-playing and digital animations.
The goal is to give children concrete tools for conflict management and positive social interactions.
Creative Practical Activity
Children make sock puppets that represent helping hands and role-playing characters. The puppets are used in role-playing games where children practice helping, comforting and mediating in conflict situations.
- Make sock puppets with recycled materials
- Create small scenes and role-playing games about conflict and helping
- Reflection: What did the helper do to resolve the situation?
Digital Activity
With the help of **Toontastic**, children can animate their sock puppet scenes, give the characters a voice and create small solutions that are shown to the group. Animation brings reflection and empathy learning to life.
- Intro to Toontastic: build scenes, add voices and movements
- Children record short animations that demonstrate conflict resolution and helpfulness
- View and group discussion
Tip: Test Toontastic on a device before the workshop; have backup plans for devices without app access.
Learning objectives
- Understand nonviolent conflict management
- Empathy and perspective-taking through role play
- Collaboration and creative problem solving
- Digital storytelling and animation
Workshop-structure
(2 hours)
- Welcome and short intro (10 min)
- Create sock puppets (30 min)
- Plan scenes and role play (20 min)
- Pause & reflection (10 min)
- Digital activity: Animate in Toontastic (30 min)
- View & wrap-up (20 min)
Practical Information
- Duration: 2 hours
- Alder: 10–14 år
- Group size: 6–20 children
- Materials and iPads provided
- Mentors (15–19 years) support throughout the process
