Heart Talk Script

Warm Up: Beginning Our Heart Talk (5 minutes)

"Good morning, everyone! Today we're going to have a very special 'Heart Talk.' Can everyone put their hand on their heart? That's where we keep our feelings! Our hearts can hold so many different feelings – happy, sad, excited, worried. Sometimes, big changes happen that can make our hearts feel lots of different things."

"Think for a moment about a time you felt a really strong feeling. Maybe super happy, or a little bit sad. Now, turn to a partner and quietly share one feeling you've had recently. You don't have to say why you felt it, just the feeling itself. Ready? Go!"

(Allow 1-2 minutes for partner sharing. Bring students back together.)

"Wonderful! It sounds like we all have lots of different feelings inside us, and that's perfectly normal. Today, we're going to talk about some big changes that can happen in families and how we can use our 'Heart Talk' to help us with those feelings."

Introduction: Our Changing Families (5 minutes)

(Display Heart Talk Slides - Slide 1: "Families Are Special!")

"Look at this slide! Families are all different and special. Some families have a mom and a dad, some have two moms, some have two dads, some have one parent, some live with grandparents. What makes your family special? You can share with the person next to you, or if you feel brave, you can share with the whole class."

(Allow a few students to share briefly.)

"That's right, every family is unique and wonderful!"

(Advance to Heart Talk Slides - Slide 2: "Sometimes Families Change")

"Sometimes, families change in different ways. And sometimes, mom and dad might decide to live in two different homes. This can feel new and very different for children. It's okay to have lots of feelings about it. You might feel a little sad, or confused, or even a little bit worried. All those feelings are normal and valid."

Reading & Discussion: My Two Homes (8 minutes)

(Distribute or display My Two Homes Reading.)

"I have a story for us today called My Two Homes Reading. It's about a child whose parents live in two different houses. Let's read it together and think about how the child in the story feels and what they do."

(Read My Two Homes Reading aloud, pausing at key emotional points to ask questions like: "How do you think [character] is feeling right now? What makes you say that?")

"Now that we've read our story, let's have a Communication Scenarios Discussion. The story showed us that talking about feelings is really important. Imagine you're at one home and you miss your parent at the other home. What could you say to your grown-up to let them know how you feel?"

"What if you're excited about something at one house and want to tell the other parent? How can you make sure they know?"

"What if you feel confused about a new rule at one house? How can you ask about it?"

(Guide students in a brief discussion, using the prompts from the Communication Scenarios Discussion. Emphasize using 'I feel...' statements.)

Activity: Feeling Faces & Coping Cards (7 minutes)

(Distribute Feeling Faces Worksheet and prepare for the Coping Cards Activity.)

"It's super important to know how you're feeling and to have ways to help yourself when feelings get big. First, on your Feeling Faces Worksheet, I want you to draw a picture of how you might feel about family changes. You can draw one feeling, or many feelings!"

(Give students 2-3 minutes to draw.)

"Now, let's think about ways to help ourselves when we have those big feelings. We're going to make some Coping Cards Activity! Look at the Heart Talk Slides (Slide 5-6). We talked about drawing, talking to a grown-up, playing a game. What other things help you feel better when you're sad, or worried, or confused?"

(Facilitate brainstorming and guide students to create 1-2 coping cards. Circulate and assist.)

"Great job! Would anyone like to share their feeling face or a coping card with the class?"

(Allow a few students to share.)

Quiz: Two Homes, One Heart (3 minutes)

(Distribute Two Homes, One Heart Quiz.)

"To see what you've learned today about our 'Heart Talk' and big feelings, we're going to do a quick Two Homes, One Heart Quiz. Just do your best and answer the questions about feelings and talking about them. Don't worry, it's just to help me know what you understood!"

(Monitor students as they complete the quiz.)

Cool Down: Reflecting on Our Feelings (2 minutes)

(Distribute Reflecting on Our Feelings Cool Down.)

"Wow, we had a really important 'Heart Talk' today. For our cool down, please take this Reflecting on Our Feelings Cool Down paper. I want you to draw or write one thing you learned or one feeling you had during our lesson today. It's like a little exit ticket to help us remember our discussion."

(Collect papers as students finish.)

"Thank you, everyone, for sharing your hearts today. Remember, it's always okay to talk about your feelings!"

Beginning Our Heart Talk Warm Up

Instructions: Listen to your teacher and think about your feelings.

1. Put your hand on your heart.
2. Think about a strong feeling you had recently (happy, sad, excited, worried).
3. Turn to a partner and quietly share one feeling you had.

My feeling was:

My Two Homes Reading

Maya loved her family. She loved her mom, and she loved her dad. They all lived together in one cozy house with a big backyard where Maya liked to play.

One day, Mom and Dad sat Maya down. They told her that they would not live in the same house anymore. Mom would live in a new apartment, and Dad would stay in their cozy house. Maya would have two homes.

Maya felt a little confused. She felt a little sad. She had lots of questions. Would her toys move? Would she still see both Mom and Dad every day? It felt like a big change in her heart.

At Mom's new apartment, Maya had a special corner for her books and a comfy bed. Mom helped her unpack her favorite teddy bear. "It's still your home, sweetie," Mom said, giving her a hug. Maya smiled a little.

When she went back to Dad's house, her old room was still there, just as she remembered. Dad made her favorite pancakes on Saturday mornings. "You have two special places now, Maya," Dad told her. "And we both love you very, very much."

Maya learned that even though her parents lived in two different houses, their love for her stayed big and strong. She learned that she could talk to Mom or Dad about her feelings, whether she was happy about her two homes, or sometimes missed one parent when she was with the other.

It wasn't always easy, and sometimes Maya still felt a little bit sad or confused. But she knew that talking about her feelings, her "Heart Talk," helped her feel better. And she knew that her two homes were both full of love, just in a new way.

Communication Scenarios Discussion

Instructions: Listen to the scenarios and discuss with your classmates how you might communicate your feelings and needs.

Scenario 1: Missing a Parent

Imagine you are at one home, and you really miss your mom or dad who is at the other home. What could you say to the grown-up you are with to let them know how you feel?

Scenario 2: Exciting News to Share

You learned something really cool or exciting at one of your homes! You want to tell your other parent all about it. How can you make sure they know your exciting news?

Scenario 3: Feeling Confused

Sometimes rules or routines might be a little different at each house, and you feel confused about something. How can you ask about it so you understand better?

Scenario 4: Wanting to Play a Game

You really want to play a certain game, but you left it at your other house. What can you say to your grown-up to see if you can get it or find a different solution?

Coping Cards Activity

Instructions: Think about things that help you feel better when you have big feelings. We are going to create your own "Coping Cards"!

1. Brainstorm: What do you do when you feel sad, worried, or confused? Think of things that make you feel calm or happy. (Examples: draw a picture, talk to a grown-up, hug a teddy bear, take deep breaths, play outside).

2. Draw Your Coping Skill: On each card, draw a picture of a coping skill. You can make 2-3 cards.

   Card 1: My Coping Skill
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Card 2: My Coping Skill
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Card 3: My Coping Skill
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Share: When you are done, share your coping cards with a friend or your teacher.

Teacher Note: Provide card stock or small slips of paper for students to create their cards. Encourage creativity and individual coping strategies.

Feeling Faces Worksheet

Instructions: Draw a picture of how you might feel about changes in your family, like having two homes. You can draw one feeling, or many feelings!

My Feelings About Family Changes

Two Homes, One Heart Quiz Answer Key

1. What is 'Heart Talk'?

• Correct Answer: Talking about your feelings
• Explanation: The lesson defines 'Heart Talk' as openly discussing one's emotions.

2. If your parents live in two homes, is it okay to feel sad?

• Correct Answer: Yes, all feelings are okay.
• Explanation: The lesson emphasizes that all feelings, including sadness, are normal and valid when families experience changes.

3. Name one thing you can do when you have big feelings (a coping skill).

• Correct Answer: Answers may vary but could include: draw a picture, talk to a grown-up, take deep breaths, play a game, hug a teddy bear.
• Explanation: Students learned various coping strategies during the activity and on the slides.

4. Is it important to tell your grown-ups how you feel?

• Correct Answer: Yes, it helps them understand.
• Explanation: The lesson highlights the importance of communication for grown-ups to understand and support the child.

Family Changes Rubric

This rubric assesses a student's ability to express feelings and understand coping strategies related to family changes.

Criteria

Reflecting on Our Feelings Cool Down

Instructions: For your exit ticket, draw or write one thing you learned or one feeling you had during our Heart Talk lesson today.