Getting along with siblings worksheet

A getting along with siblings worksheet is a printable that helps children and teens talk through sibling conflict, find shared interests and practice resolving disagreements. Sibling conflict is a normal part of growing up, and most families with more than one child see it at some point.

The worksheet gives a counselor, parent or teacher a shared starting point. The conversation then stays on specific feelings and triggers instead of on who started the argument.

Download the free PDF below, then use the guide that follows to run it in a therapy session, at home or in the classroom.

Key takeaways

A getting along with siblings worksheet guides children through reflection on sibling conflict and shared interests.

Sibling conflict is a normal part of development, so the worksheet focuses on building the skills to handle it.

Use the worksheet in therapy sessions, at home or in the classroom, with age-appropriate facilitation.

Therapy sessions run 30 to 45 minutes, while home sittings work best at 15 to 20 minutes.

The worksheet complements professional therapy and does not replace it.

What is a getting along with siblings worksheet?

A getting along with siblings worksheet is a printable tool for children who clash with a brother or sister. Its prompts ask what they enjoy about their sibling, what causes friction and what they could try next time.

It’s designed for children and teens. Family therapists, school counselors, educators and parents use it as a shared structure for conversation.

• Who it is for: children and teens, with facilitation by a parent, counselor or teacher.
• What it captures: shared interests, feelings, conflict triggers and possible solutions.
• How it is used: one-on-one, in a family session or in a small group.

Why sibling conflict happens

Sibling conflict usually comes from competition for attention, differences in age or temperament, and disagreements over shared space or belongings.

The American Academy of Pediatrics describes sibling relationships as a normal part of family life, with disagreements expected as children learn to manage their emotions. So the worksheet sets a narrower goal: helping children name what happened and choose a different response next time.

What the worksheet covers

The worksheet moves through four areas, each with prompts that a facilitator can read aloud or a child can complete alone.

1. Shared interests: identifying activities and hobbies in common, which gives siblings a neutral starting point.
2. Feelings identification: naming emotions such as frustration, jealousy or embarrassment.
3. Conflict triggers: recognizing the situations that tend to start arguments.
4. Solution-finding: choosing one or two calmer responses to try next time.

The four sections keep the same order in every setting. What changes is who leads the sitting and how long it runs, as the overview below shows.

How to use the worksheet in a therapy session

Counselors and therapists can run the worksheet as a structured part of a session, usually across 30 to 45 minutes. Keep the focus on the child’s own words rather than on who was right in a recent argument.

1. Start by reviewing the shared-interests section so the session opens on something positive.
2. Work through the feelings prompts one at a time, reflecting back the language the child uses.
3. Ask the child to pick one recent conflict and map its triggers.
4. Co-create two or three alternative responses and agree on which one to practice this week.
5. Close by reviewing the solution the child chose and noting it on the worksheet.

Younger children who struggle to name emotions can rate them first on a feelings thermometer. They then carry that word into the feelings prompts.

Using it at home

Parents can use the worksheet without professional support, as long as the tone stays calm and no child is put on the spot. A short sitting of 15 to 20 minutes works better than a long one.

• Choose a quiet time when neither sibling is tired or upset.
• Complete the shared-interests section together, then let each child answer the feelings prompts separately.
• Agree on one solution and revisit it at the next family meal or weekly check-in.

If the same arguments keep coming back, parenting skills worksheets help adults plan how they respond in the moment.

Using it in the classroom

Teachers can build the worksheet into social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons or advisory periods. The CASEL framework names self-awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making as core competencies. The worksheet maps onto each of them.

1. Introduce the topic of getting along with peers and siblings before handing out the sheet.
2. Pair students for the shared-interests section and let them compare answers.
3. Use the solution-finding section as a short written reflection at the end of the lesson.

Skills the worksheet builds

The worksheet targets a small set of skills that carry over beyond the sibling relationship. Each one is practiced in the prompts and then applied in everyday disagreements.

• Active listening, by reflecting back what a sibling has said.
• Empathy and perspective-taking, by considering how the other child felt.
• Communication, by naming feelings instead of acting them out.
• Problem-solving, by choosing a calmer response to a known trigger.

Children who need more practice at reflecting back can follow up with an active listening skills worksheet.

What do I have in common with my sibling? An activity spotlight

The shared-interests activity asks each child to list hobbies, places and shows they both enjoy. Research on common ground and positive interaction suggests that naming commonalities can make later disagreements easier to manage. Evidence specific to siblings is still limited. The table below shows how a completed section might look.

How can we improve our sibling relationship? An activity spotlight

Siblings improve the relationship one agreed change at a time. This activity asks each of them to say how a recent disagreement felt, then agree on one change. It works best when each child speaks in turn and the facilitator keeps the language specific.

• Each child describes the disagreement using “I felt” statements.
• Each child repeats back what the other said before responding.
• Together they choose one small change to test before the next session.

Conflict resolution activities to use between sessions

Short, practical activities reinforce the same skills between sessions. Choose one at a time so the child isn’t overloaded.

• Role-play: act out a common disagreement and swap roles to practice perspective-taking.
• Problem-solving cards: draw one card, then brainstorm two responses to the situation it describes.
• Calm-corner prompts: post three cues a child can read when they feel their temperature rising.
• Feelings check-in: name one emotion each sibling felt that day at the dinner table.

For older children and teens, a conflict resolution worksheet applies the same steps to disagreements outside the family.

Who the worksheet helps

The worksheet suits any setting where siblings get support together. Family therapy practices use it in sessions with children and parents. School counselors use it in one-on-one or small-group time. Educators use it in SEL lessons, and parents use it at home between professional appointments.

Benefits of a shared structure

A shared structure cuts the time spent deciding what to talk about, so more of the session goes to the conflict itself. Written answers also give a facilitator something concrete to revisit next time. Because every child completes the same sections, tracking progress across weeks gets simpler.

Guidance for facilitators

Facilitators should keep language neutral and avoid taking sides. If a child discloses a safety concern, stop the worksheet and follow your child-protection and mandated reporting procedure. The worksheet complements professional therapy and doesn’t replace it.

Printing and using the PDF

Pabau, the practice software we build for therapy and health practices, publishes the worksheet free in its template library. It’s made for printing and use in sessions, classrooms or at home, and it needs no software to complete.

• Format: PDF, for printing on standard US Letter or A4 paper.
• Age range: suited to children and teens, with facilitator support for younger children.
• Print tip: print one copy per child so each can write their own answers.

To look beyond the sibling pair, a family dynamics worksheet maps roles and patterns across the whole household.

How Pabau keeps sibling worksheets with the patient record

Many therapy practices still print worksheets like this one. The completed sheet goes home with the family or into a paper folder, and it’s rarely on hand when the next session starts.

Pabau’s digital forms let you rebuild the worksheet as a form and send it before the appointment. Each completed copy is filed in the patient record. Our software for therapy practice management keeps those answers next to session notes and the next booking.

The result is a running record of each child’s chosen solutions. You can open the next session on last week’s agreement instead of starting from scratch.

Keep every sibling worksheet in one record

Pabau’s digital forms let therapy practices send worksheets before a session and store completed copies in the patient record. Each family session builds on the last.

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Conclusion

Siblings will keep arguing, but the arguments can become easier to talk about. Start with one recent conflict and one agreed change, and keep each sitting short enough that children stay engaged.

Over a few weeks, the written answers show which triggers keep returning and which solutions hold. That record is worth keeping, whether it sits in a family folder or a practice’s patient file. Book a demo to see how Pabau stores completed worksheets alongside each patient’s session notes.

Continue your research

Working with younger children? Therapy worksheet for kids offers age-friendly prompts for exploring thoughts and feelings in session.

Arguments turning into outbursts? Worksheet on anger management helps children spot early warning signs and plan a calmer reaction.

Need words for the feelings prompts? List of feelings gives children a vocabulary to describe what they felt during a conflict.

Teaching children to speak up calmly? Assertive communication worksheet practices stating needs without blaming the other person.

Checking perspective-taking skills? Empathy test measures how readily someone understands another person’s feelings.

Frequently asked questions