Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
Suggested Group(s): Preschool (older)/Young/Middle/Teen
Purpose: To promote group sharing, and provide a 'barometer' of emotions within the group, while informing the group of any issues that may have occurred between sessions
Task/need: Group building, group structure, living on the grief spiral
Activity Setup Ideas:
- Say, "We're going to check in with you each meeting to see how the last week or the time since our last meeting was."
- Invite someone to volunteer to go first to share whether the time was a 'thumbs-up' or a 'thumbs-down.’
Materials:
- None
Description: This activity can be used as a meeting opening ritual throughout the weeks of a session. Each child is given an opportunity to share positive and negative experiences since the previous meeting, by giving the period a "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down." If he/she wishes to share why the up or down rating was given, he/she may. The children may want to use both hands, and rate the period in a combination of ups and downs. For example, a child may indicate one thumbs-up because of a good grade on a test in the past week, and one thumbs-down because of a fight with a friend during the same period of time. As always, the "I pass" rule applies, but the children generally appreciate the time to share what is going on in his/her life beyond the Caring Place.
Activity Wrap Up Ideas:
- Thank the group for their participation and transition to another activity.