‘Things that help when’ cards
This activity helps siblings find their own ways of coping with difficult feelings
You will need
Sheets of A4 card, pens, scissors
How to do it
- Start the activity by talking about what helps when you have difficult feelings such as sadness, worry, loneliness, and anger. For example, having a bubble bath, cuddling a pet, talking to someone, going for a walk, bouncing on a trampoline, writing it down, drawing or colouring in.
- Discuss the practicalities and consequences of their ideas for coping to help siblings choose coping strategies that are both realistic in their home situation and that do not harm or upset others.
- Ask the siblings to cut their A4 sheet into 4 cards. At the top of each card they write ‘Things that help me when I feel’. They then choose a different feeling to go on each card and list the things that help them.
- Encourage the siblings to have the cards easy to reach so that they are to hand when needed.
Worry box
This activity encourages siblings to write their worries down and then tackle them with the help of their family. Decorating the worry box is a creative activity that siblings really enjoy. The worry box can be used by the sibling long after the group has ended.
You will need
Small plain boxes (these can be bought online from craft stores or or use gift boxes), decorating materials – feathers, glitter, stickers, glue, pens, post its/small pieces of paper
How to do it
- Siblings decorate their box to take home at the end of the session.
- Explain the idea of the box – when a worry or troubling thought comes into their mind, siblings write it down on a piece of paper and put it in the box. At the end of each day they open the box and read the worries with a parent. Their parent can help them sort the worries into things that the sibling or family can take action on and things that can’t be changed or that won’t happen.
- Before the children take the worry box home have a short session with their parents on using the worry box and how to acknowledge feelings. Print off our listening to feelings page for parents to help them with this activity.
- Some siblings will not get the support of their parents with this. Ask them to bring their worry box to the group for the next session and spend time sorting their worries and support them taking on issues that can be changed. This can be done alone or as part of a group discussion.