What’s going on today?

Start with the moment your family is in. Each page gathers stories that can give you and your child something specific to talk about.

Big feelings

Big feelings

My child is overwhelmed and cannot name what they feel

Being brave

My child is frightened to try something

Anger and tantrums

My child hit, yelled, or melted down

Waiting and impulse control

My child cannot wait, or acts before thinking

Worry and new places

My child is anxious about something unfamiliar

Getting along

Being unkind

My child was unkind

Noticing other people’s feelings

My child does not see how someone else feels

Bullying

My child is being bullied, or is doing the bullying

Making friends

My child is working out how to be a friend

Manners

My child needs the everyday please and thank you

Tattling

My child reports every small thing a sibling does

Disrespect

My child spoke or acted rudely

Working together

My child will not cooperate on a shared task

Trouble listening

My child does not listen when spoken to

Feeling left out

My child was excluded, or excluded someone

Jealousy

My child resents what someone else has

Truth and taking responsibility

Caught in a lie

My child lied and I want to talk about it

Teaching honesty

I want honesty to be an ordinary expectation

Blaming others

My child will not own what they did

Apologizing

My child hurt someone and will not say sorry

Forgiving someone

My child is holding on to something someone did

Learning and trying

Giving up when things get hard

My child quits when something gets hard

Low confidence

My child does not believe they can do it

Setting a goal

My child wants something and does not know where to start

Bouncing back

My child took a setback hard

Stuck on a problem

My child is stuck and will not try another way

The wider world

Many kinds of people

My child noticed that someone is different

Saying thank you

I want my child to notice what others do for them

Wanting to help

My child wants to help and I want to encourage it

Sharing and taking turns

My child will not share or take turns

Fairness complaints

My child says something is not fair

Asking questions

My child asks about everything and I want to feed it

These situation assignments are provisional. We keep them separate from values because a hard moment and the lesson it draws on are not always the same thing.