Printable guide · ages 6–8

Hece’s Feelings Notebook

Each lesson uses made-up stories about Hece, Piko and Tosbi. Ask the child to say the clue or the reason before choosing. Some tasks are open: the feeling cards show possibilities, never what a face or a child must feel, and several answers can fit. Other tasks are about what to do next, and a safe or kind step is the one that fits. In the child’s words the trusted grown-up of each story is “the teacher”; you can say “a grown-up you trust” instead. Never ask the child to share a personal event, a family matter or a feeling of their own.

Materials: The screen is enough. Optional: large paper cards for the feeling and action pictures, and a timer for turns. Nothing is recorded, photographed, typed or shared, and no personal information is needed. A child may point at a card instead of speaking.

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What to notice

Notice whether the child separates what happened from how someone feels, leaves room for a second possibility, names what would help, chooses a safe action and respects a no. Do not score faces, force a particular feeling or require a calming technique. Pointing, speaking and moving cards are all fine. Stop for a break whenever the child needs one.

Ask “What happened, and what did the friend say about the inside?” or “What could Piko do that keeps everyone safe?” These are learning activities, not a psychological assessment or a safeguarding lesson. A star records the lesson task on this device only; it does not measure feelings, behaviour or skill. Real-child understanding, educator review and screen readers still need separate validation.

Lesson 1

What happened, how did I feel?

Goal: Tell what happened in a short story apart from how a character feels about it.

Telling an event from a feeling is the first step of talking about feelings. What happened can be seen or heard by anyone; a feeling is told by the person who has it. The feeling cards show what a character says, not what a face must mean, and nobody can read a feeling from a picture. Accept any wording that separates the two parts, such as “The ball rolled away. That is what happened. Tosbi says worried.” Keep every story about the made-up characters: do not ask the child about their own events or feelings.

Starting point: Tell a two-sentence story about Hece, for example: the picnic is cancelled and Hece says, “I feel sad.” Ask which sentence is what happened.
A helpful phrase: “What could we see or hear? What did Hece tell us about the inside?”
A common mix-up: A child may call “sad” the event, or “it rained” the feeling. Say it plainly: “Rain is what happened. Sad is how Hece feels. We need both parts.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story, for example from a picnic to a lost pencil. Notice whether the child still names the event first and the feeling the character says second.

Show: Hece’s puzzle has a piece missing. Hece says, “I feel worried.” Put what happened first, then how Hece feels.

Lesson 2

Same event, different feelings

Goal: Say that two friends can have different feelings about the same event, and choose to ask instead of guessing.

People can feel different things about the same event, and none of the feelings is wrong. A feeling depends on what a person likes, knows and has tried, so an event alone does not tell us. The cards show possibilities, not a key. If the child names one feeling for a character, ask “What else could be true for another friend?” Do not ask the child what they themselves would feel, and do not use real classmates as examples.

Starting point: Lay out the new puzzle card and two character cards. Say: “Piko has said excited. Tosbi has not said anything yet.”
A helpful phrase: “Could Tosbi feel the same? Could Tosbi feel something different? How could we find out?”
A common mix-up: A child may think the event decides the feeling, or that a friend who feels differently is wrong. Say: “Same event, different feelings. We ask.”
Notice the transfer: Change the event to a new classroom or loud music. Notice whether the child still offers two possible feelings and chooses to ask instead of guess.

Show: A new classroom opens. Hece and Tosbi step inside. Pick a feeling Hece could have and a different feeling Tosbi could have. Then pick what you could ask.

Lesson 3

Saying what I need

Goal: Say what would help in a short “I need…” sentence, and tell it apart from blaming or ordering.

A need is what would help right now, said as “I need…”. It is not a demand: a friend can say yes, not now, or offer another way. Some children find it easier to point at a picture card than to say the sentence, and that is fine. The needs here are examples, not a complete list, and nobody is asked what they themselves need. Do not rank needs or treat a need as a weakness.

Starting point: Show the worried feeling card and ask: “What would help Tosbi right now?” Then read the four “I need…” cards.
A helpful phrase: “What would help? Can you say it as ‘I need…’?”
A common mix-up: A child may turn a need into a blame (“You always…”) or an order. Say: “That tells us what the friend did. What would help Piko? Start with ‘I need…’.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story, for example to sharing paints. Notice whether the child names something that would help instead of what the friend did wrong.

Show: Tosbi feels worried about the new puzzle and wants a friend to look at it together. Put how Tosbi feels, then what Tosbi can say.

Lesson 4

Choices when a feeling is big

Goal: Name safe choices for a big feeling, such as a slow breath, counting, a short break or telling a grown-up, and tell them from choices that could hurt.

These are choices, not a required routine. Do not teach a breathing exercise, time it or ask the child to try one as a test: some children find a break, counting or a person easier than breathing, and all of that is fine. A feeling does not have to disappear to be okay, and a safe choice is one that does not hurt anyone. Stop the activity and offer a break if a child seems upset. The lesson never asks about anger at real people.

Starting point: Show the four choice cards and say: “Piko feels angry. Here are four safe choices. Piko can pick one.” Nobody has to try one.
A helpful phrase: “It is okay to feel angry. What can we do that keeps everybody safe?”
A common mix-up: A child may think a safe choice should make the feeling vanish, or that “calm down” is an order. Say: “The feeling can stay. We choose what to do with it.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story to a drawing that will not come out right. Notice whether the child offers a safe choice and still names a grown-up as one more way to get help.

Show: Tosbi’s drawing will not come out right, and Tosbi feels very angry. Put one safe choice first, then who Tosbi can tell.

Lesson 5

Turns and fair rules

Goal: Follow a fair turn rule that gives everyone a turn, and say why skipping the line is not fair.

A fair rule gives everyone the same chance, is decided before the game and is kept by everyone. A turn order can come from a rule, a timer or from asking, and it can change if everybody agrees. A friend who does not want a turn can pass: that is their choice. Do not use real classmates, and do not ask who is often left out; use the made-up friends and the ball, the sled and the timer.

Starting point: Put three character cards in a row and say the order aloud: Hece, Piko, Tosbi, then Hece again. Let a timer mark each turn if you have one.
A helpful phrase: “Who is next? Who has waited the longest? What makes this fair for everyone?”
A common mix-up: A child may think “fair” means “I get what I want”, or that one quick turn does no harm. Say: “Fair means everyone gets the same chance.”
Notice the transfer: Change the order, for example Tosbi, Hece, Piko, or change the toy. Notice whether the child follows the new order instead of remembering the old one.

Show: Hece, Piko and Tosbi take turns on one sled. Hece goes first. Tosbi goes right after Piko. Put the friends in turn order.

Lesson 6

A respectful no

Goal: Say a clear and kind no, and stop and respect it when a friend says no.

A boundary is each person’s right to say what they want or do not want, such as about a toy, a game or some space. Keep this lesson to made-up toys and games; do not practise touch and do not test whether a child obeys. A respectful no does not need a long reason or eye contact. A friend who hears no may feel sad, and that feeling is allowed too. If a child tells you that someone does not stop after a no, listen and take it seriously. This set is not a full safeguarding programme.

Starting point: Let two character cards act out a request and a no with the paint card. Say the no aloud in a calm, short way.
A helpful phrase: “A clear no can be short. What can the friend do now?”
A common mix-up: A child may think a no must be explained, or that asking again and again is polite. Say: “No is enough. When we hear no, we stop.”
Notice the transfer: Change the thing asked for, from paints to a book. Notice whether the child still says a short, kind no and stops when they hear one.

Show: Piko invites Hece to a game. Hece says no, but Piko keeps pushing. Put what Hece says, what Hece does next and who Hece tells.

Lesson 7

Sorry and making it right

Goal: Make it right in three steps: say what happened, say sorry, and do something to fix it.

An apology has three parts: saying what happened, saying sorry and making it right. It is not a punishment and not a magic word, so do not make a child say sorry to end an argument. Accidents also deserve a sorry and a repair; “it was an accident” can be part of saying what happened. A friend does not have to forgive at once and a repair can be refused, so Piko asks before touching and waits. Do not ask the child about real conflicts or have them apologise to anyone as a test.

Starting point: Show the three step pictures: a burst, a bubble with a heart and a wrench. Say them in order with a made-up story, such as a torn page.
A helpful phrase: “What happened? What is the kind word? What can we do to fix it?”
A common mix-up: A child may think sorry is enough, or that “sorry” means the friend must say it is okay. Say: “Sorry is a gift. The friend decides when they feel better.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story, from a torn page to a spilled cup. Notice whether the child still orders the three steps and keeps a blaming sentence out.

Show: Piko knocks over Hece’s block tower by accident. Put Piko’s three steps in order.

Lesson 8

Asking for support

Goal: Choose a grown-up you trust and ask for support in three steps: go close, ask to talk, then say what is wrong and what you need.

This lesson is about who to ask and how, using made-up characters. Children choose their own trusted grown-ups; help each child think of at least one, without asking about private matters. Do not ask a child what worries them. If a child tells you about a real worry or harm, listen, thank them and follow your setting’s own safeguarding steps; this set is not a safeguarding programme and does not decide when something is unsafe. A grown-up who is busy can say “Not right now, but I will find you,” and then do it.

Starting point: Show the grown-up card, the question card and the help card. Say: “Hece has a worry. Who could Hece ask?”
A helpful phrase: “Who could Hece ask? What could Hece say first?”
A common mix-up: A child may think a worry is too small to tell, or that telling is “tattling”. Say: “Asking for support is not tattling. It helps.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story, from the worry to a lesson Piko does not understand. Notice whether the child still goes to a grown-up, asks to talk and says what is needed.

Show: Piko is worried because Piko does not understand the lesson. Put who Piko asks, what Piko says first and what Piko says next.

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