Each week, take a little time to put what you’ve learned into practice as a family. These simple activities are designed to help you connect, reflect, and build skills you can use together in everyday moments.

Family Feelings Chart + Rose & Thorn Check-In


What You’ll Need

✅ A visible space in your home (fridge, wall, whiteboard) or a shared notebook

✅ A simple emotion list or feelings chart (basic: happy, sad, angry, scared, calm, frustrated, excited, worried, is enough, no need to overcomplicate).

✅ 5-10 minutes a day, ideally around a shared moment like dinner or bedtime

How It Works

Step 1: Set Up the Chart

Create a simple space where each family member can mark or write how they’re feeling once a day. This can be a sticky note, a checkmark next to an emotion word, or a one-word entry, whatever’s fastest and most sustainable for your family.

Step 2: Daily Check-In

Once a day, each person (grown-ups included) shares one emotion they felt and where they felt it in their body. Keep it short. No one has to explain or justify the feeling, just name it.

Step 3: Rose and Thorn

Close the day with a simple two-part share:

Rose: One good moment from today

Thorn: One hard or challenging moment from today

This isn’t a debate or a fix-it session, it’s a listening ritual. The goal is for everyone to feel heard, not corrected.

Tips for Success

Model it first. Let your kids see you name a hard feeling out loud.

Keep judgment out of it, every entry is valid.

If someone passes on a given day, that’s okay too, consistency matters more than perfection.

Ready to give it a try?

These resources can help you bring the activity to life. Use the Emotions Wheel as a simple visual to help family members identify and name what they’re feeling, and watch the Rose & Thorn Check-In video for an example of how to make this reflection part of your family’s day.

You don’t need to follow either one exactly. Use what works for your family and keep it simple, comfortable, and easy to return to.

Credit: @Action4HlthyKids
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