Activity: Family Touchpoint
Objective: In the busyness of life, it is so important to be overtly intentional about creating time and space for meaningful connection as a family. Whether around the dinner table, during car rides, or before bedtime, these small but powerful check-ins invite emotional expression, build trust, and strengthen bonds—especially important during times of stress, transition, or grief. Consider incorporating these ideas to encourage your children and teens to go beyond the typical one-word responses to “So, how was your day?”
Instructions: Consider a daily or weekly rhythm, using one or more of these activities to spark conversation.
- Rose, Bud, Thorn
- Rose: Something you are grateful for
- Bud: Something you’re looking forward to
- Thorn: Something challenging or stressful
- High, Low, Buffalo
- High: Something positive about your day
- Low: Something hard from your day
- Buffalo: Something random, funny, or interesting about your day
- Stop, Start, Continue
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- Start: Something new you would like to start
- Stop: Something you would like to stop
- Continue: Something that is working well and you want to keep doing
Supplies:
- Family Touchpoint Handout
Additional Ideas:
- Keep a shared family journal or board where everyone can write or draw their responses.
- Rotate check-in “leaders” each time to foster leadership.
- For younger children, it may be helpful to have a printout with visuals or invite a stuffy friend to take part.
Thank you, Kelly Petersohn, from Camp Erin Online for developing & sharing this activity!
