Mending: Saying Sorry and Putting Things RightRepairing what breaks

You need: Soft toys and a basket

1. Let a soft toy fall over. Say “Oops!” in a gentle voice.
2. Pick the toy up with your toddler. Say “Teddy is okay now.”
3. Give Teddy a pat and a cuddle together.
4. Put the toy in the basket and say, “All better.”

“Oops. Let us fix it. All better.”

You need: A soft toy

1. Pretend one toy bumps another. The second toy cries a little.
2. Say, “Oh, ouch. Let us help.” Guide your toddler’s hand to pat gently.
3. Say, “The bump is better. Thank you for helping.”
4. Give both toys a cuddle.

“Ouch. We pat gently. Now it is better.”

You need: Nothing, just a quiet spot

1. After a big upset, wait until your toddler is calm.
2. Sit close and say a few words: “We were upset. Now we are calm.”
3. Offer a cuddle, a song or a story.
4. End with a smile and “We are friends.”

“That was hard. We are okay now.”

You need: Two puppets, socks or soft toys

1. Let one puppet knock down the other’s tower.
2. Ask your child, “How does the other puppet feel?”
3. Let the first puppet try: “I am sorry I knocked it down. Can I help build it again?”
4. Rebuild together and cheer.

“What could the puppet say? What could the puppet do?”

You need: Two cushions or sheets of paper

1. Put the two cushions far apart. They are two friends who had a fight.
2. Let your child lay down pretend stepping stones between them, one for each step: say what happened, say sorry, help.
3. Walk across slowly, like a bridge.
4. Say, “We made a bridge back to each other.”

“A bridge helps us walk back to each other.”

You need: Paper and crayons

1. Think of a small time when someone got upset, such as a pushed friend or a torn page.
2. Draw what happened on one half of the page.
3. On the other half, draw one thing you could do to help.
4. Pick whether to do it or give the picture to the friend.

“What could you do to make it better?”

You need: Paper and pencils

1. Draw five stepping stones on a page.
2. Label them: what happened, how might they feel, I am sorry, what would help, I will do.
3. Think of a small, made-up problem, like breaking a friend’s crayon. Walk through each stone out loud.
4. Keep the page where you can find it.

“What happened? How might they feel? What will you say and do?”

You need: Pairs

1. Write or say a sorry that is only “Sorry.” Then try one with more: “I am sorry I took your pen without asking.”
2. Notice which feels more real.
3. Try it with different made-up problems.
4. Talk about how it feels to give and to receive a longer sorry.

“I am sorry that I… I think you felt…”

You need: Paper, scissors and tape

1. Cut a paper heart and tear it in two. Say, “This is what hurt feels like.”
2. For each thing that helps (listening, sorry, a kind act), tape one piece back.
3. Look at the mended heart. The tape lines still show, but the heart is whole.
4. Talk about how repair can make things strong again.

“What helps to mend a hurt?”

You need: Paper and pens

1. Write three sorries, from empty to meaningful. For example: “Sorry.” “Sorry you are upset.” “I am sorry I shared your secret. That was not fair.”
2. Mark what is missing from each.
3. Choose which one you would want to receive.
4. Rewrite a weak one so it is a full, honest sorry.

“What makes a sorry real? What is missing?”

You need: Paper and pens

1. Choose a made-up case: a friend’s trust was broken, or a project was ruined by accident.
2. Write the repair path: what happened, how they feel, what I say, what I ask, what I do.
3. Add: “What if they say no? What will I do?”
4. Share your plan with a partner and swap ideas.

“What will you say, and what will you do about it?”

You need: Pairs

1. Role-play: one person says sorry, the other is not ready to accept.
2. The person who said sorry practises responding kindly: “I understand. I am here when you are ready.”
3. Swap roles.
4. Talk about what it felt like to be allowed to say not yet, and to be told it was okay.

“I understand. I will give you space.”

You need: Paper and a pen

1. Think of a time you hurt someone, now or in the past. You do not have to share it.
2. Write a letter that says what happened, how they might have felt and what you wish you had done.
3. Add what you could offer now, such as a talk or a change.
4. Decide whether to send it, say it or keep it.

“What do I want them to know? What do I want to change?”

You need: Pairs

1. Read these example lines and discuss them: “Sorry if you were offended.” “I am sorry, but you started it.”
2. Name what each one does: it avoids, blames or shrinks the hurt.
3. Rewrite each as a full apology.
4. Choose one rule you will follow when apologising.

“Does this apology own what I did?”

You need: Pairs or small groups

1. Discuss: when is it right to forgive? When is it right to say, “I need time”? When is it right to keep a boundary?
2. Write three ways to respond to an apology: accept, ask for time, set a limit.
3. Notice that forgiving does not mean going back to how things were.
4. Choose one line you could use.

“Thank you for saying it. I need time. I will let you know.”