Building and strengthening relationships through peace circles

This immersive session introduces primary school staff to Peacemakers’ interactive approach to circle time. It introduces circle pedagogy, inclusive activities, explores ways to support social and emotional development, and turns learning into practical, purposeful action.

Through our work in hundreds of primary schools, we've learned that it's not just what you teach – it's how you teach it. Peace education delivered in an authoritarian way would undermine its own message. What's needed instead are participative, democratic approaches where children and adults genuinely share the space.

Circles are central to our practice. Used by communities across cultures for centuries, circle time creates a space where every voice is heard — including those of quieter or more marginalised children. Passing a talking piece around the circle ensures no one is talked over. Circles can balance power, build empathy, and shift the classroom dynamic in ways that ripple out into the rest of the school day.

Within a circle, there's room for games, role play, group and paired discussion, and drama — approaches that children find engaging and memorable. The content of peace education doesn't have to feel worthy or heavy. Done well, it's fun.