Friendship Fire Think Sheet for Home
In the Banyule Bulletin last week, we shared how parents can differentiate between a 'Friendship Fire' and 'Mean-on-Purpose' behaviour. This week, we share how you can help your children step back from their emotions & consider the conflict from a more objective perspective.
We have provided an activity below to complete with your child to support this at home. Remember, there are many more resources available for free in the'Parent Portal'on the URSTORNG website.
Objective
Reflection sheets and journaling are great ways to help our children process those tricky emotions and express their feelings on paper. But, sometimes kids need to step out of their emotional cloud when they experience conflicts in their friendships to see things clearly.
Dr Susan David, author of Emotional Agility, describes the importance of widening the lens to see things from a broader perspective. This Friendship Fire Think Sheet is designed to help children gain a more objective perspective of the situation, looking beyond their heightened emotions to simply focus on the facts.
Materials
Print out: Friendship Fire Think Sheet
Instructions
- Explain to your child that you’ve noticed they’re experiencing a Friendship Fire and that you’re here to help.
- Give them the Friendship Fire Think Sheet and say, “Here’s a little something that schools sometimes give kids to help them think about the situation a little differently. Maybe it will help you feel better?”
- If they’re comfortable, review it with them and be sure to encourage them to Talk-it-Out with their friend to get the friendship back in the healthy zone. If they can’t find a good time to talk at school, maybe you could help them set up a time outside of school?
Remind your child that you’re there to support and coach them along, but that they can do it! Sometimes time and space away from the Friendship Fire are exactly what they need to start feeling better again!
Next Steps
Consider taking Dr Susan David’s Emotional Agility Quiz. It might inspire some ideas for how to help your child be more emotional agile too!