Videos on the Family Charter
How to Use The Charter at Home:
Create a family charter of shared ideas for how everyone will be treated at home.
The family charter should answer questions such as:
How do you want to feel at home?
What behaviors help make those feelings? What can you do each day to make sure that everyone experiences those feelings? Be specific!
How should we prevent and manage unwanted feelings/conflict?
Revisit the charter regularly and use it to reflect- for example, “What have we done to appreciate each other this week?”
Add to the charter as needed.
The Charter should be signed by everyone and displayed in a visible area.
Here is a template to help you create your own family charter
RESOURCES
Videos on using the Mood Meter in Homes
How to Use The Mood Meter at Home:
Post a mood meter in your home in a visible area. Make your own or use these mood meter templates
Use a nametag, special magnet, photo, or picture to represent each family member- check-in throughout the day (morning, after school/work, bedtime) and move your image around depending on your mood.
Ask questions: Where are you on the mood meter? What caused you to feel that way? How can you stay there or move to a different quadrant? What is that emotion called? How can I help you move to the green?
Talk about how to prevent or reduce red and blue feelings and how to initiate, maintain, and enhance yellow and green feelings.
While some emotions may be uncomfortable, remember, there are no ‘bad’ emotions, all feelings are ok!
Keep a journal: Use different colors for different moods. Use the journal to understand what triggers different feelings. *There’s a mood meter app to help track your mood*
Plot characters in a book on the Mood Meter: where are they on the Mood Meter? Why? How can they stay or move to a different quadrant?
Come up with a song that represents each quadrant and play a song to express or generate different emotions.
RESOURCES
Videos on using the Meta-Moment
How to Use the Meta-Moment at Home:
Know the Meta-Moment Steps: Knowing the steps will help you assist your child during triggering events
Step 1: Something happens- There is a triggering event that causes an unpleasant feeling
Step 2: Sense- How are you feeling? How does your body feel?
Step 3: Stop- Before reacting, pause for a second to assess what is happening.
Step 4: See your best self- Visualize your best self, use positive self-talk and visioning
Step 5: Strategize- What would your best self do in this situation?
Step 6: Succeed!- Reflect on the successful result, what made it successful? How can you use this knowledge next time you are triggered?
Model the steps yourself when YOU are triggered.
Practice breathing exercises and positive self-talk BEFORE a triggering event occurs so that you know exactly what to do in the moment
Post a reminder of the steps in a visible spot. Here is a poster to help
RESOURCES
Videos on the Blueprint
How to Use the Blueprint at Home:
Use questions during disagreements and problem-solving to help your child understand what someone else might be thinking/feeling. For example:
How do I feel? How does the other person feel?
What caused my feelings? What caused the other person’s feelings?
How did I express/regulate my feelings? How did the other person express/regulate their feelings?
What could I have done to handle the situation better?
Help your child consider the perspective of characters in books/movies.
Here is a blueprint worksheet to help
RESOURCES
Videos on the Feelings Curriculum
Helps students expand their vocabulary of emotion words.
Through developing a richer emotional vocabulary, it becomes easier to understand and support your child’s needs.
For example: If you ask your student how they are feeling and they say, “Bad” it is more difficult to know how to support them than if they say, “Angry” “Sad” “Disappointed” etc.
How to Use the Feeling Words Curriculum at Home:
Tell a personal story or read a story together. Then ask your child...
How did the character felt?
How do you know they felt this way? What were the clues?
When was a time you felt the same way?
What did you do when you felt that way?
Ask your child to imagine what he/she would do or say if they had a friend that was feeling _________ (scared, sad, mad, etc)
Draw pictures of what different emotions look like or make songs of what different emotions sound like
RESOURCES
Sources: Thurgood Marshall, Punahou