Printable guide · ages 9–10

Hece’s Feelings Notebook: Viewpoints and Support

Each lesson uses made-up stories about Hece, Piko and Tosbi. Many tasks are open: the feeling cards show possibilities, never what a character or a child must feel, and several answers can fit. Other tasks are about respectful steps, and the best step is the one that keeps everyone safe and heard. Never ask the child to share a personal event, a family matter or a feeling of their own.

Materials: The screen is enough. Optional: paper and a pencil for the sentence-building tasks. Nothing needs to be recorded, typed or shared.

Open the lessons

What to notice

Notice whether the child can name two feelings in one situation without treating one as wrong. Notice whether they give a reason from the story before they choose.

Which other feeling could be there at the same time as the one you named? What in the story tells you?

Lesson 1

Mixed feelings

Goal: Name two feelings that can be true together in one situation, and say why both are real.

Feelings often come in mixes. Holding two feelings is normal, and neither one cancels the other. The cards show possibilities about Piko and Tosbi, never what a child must feel. If a child names only one feeling, do not correct it; ask, “Could another feeling be true at the same time?” Keep every story about the made-up characters: do not ask the child about their own events or feelings.

Starting point: Tell a short story about Piko before the race and ask, “What might Piko feel right now?” Let the child name one feeling first, then ask whether another could be there too.
A helpful phrase: “Could Piko feel two things at the same time? Which words in the sentence tell you?”
A common mix-up: A child may think two feelings cannot be true together, or that a feeling must be “right”. Say it plainly: “Both can be true. We do not have to pick only one.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story, for example from a race to a school trip. Notice whether the child names two feelings without being told how many to name.

Show: Tosbi’s painting is hung in the school show. Tosbi is glad to see it up, but worried that everyone will look at it. Put one feeling in each box. The event card does not fit a box.

Lesson 2

Another viewpoint

Goal: Tell what a person could see or hear from their place, before judging what happened.

Children often assume that everyone saw what they saw. Perspective is a skill that grows slowly. The stories are about made-up characters, and the cards never show what a child must see or feel. If a child says “Tosbi did it on purpose”, ask what Tosbi could see from where Tosbi was standing.

Starting point: Place three figures on a table, for example Hece at the front, Piko on a bench and Tosbi at the gate. Ask: who can see the ball go behind the wall?
A helpful phrase: “Where would you stand to see behind the wall? What can someone at the gate not see?”
A common mix-up: A child may think the person who saw the ball must know everything about it. Say it plainly: “Seeing one part does not mean knowing the whole story.”
Notice the transfer: Move one figure to a new place and ask again. Notice whether the child changes the answer with the position, not with who they like best.

Show: Piko did not watch the game. Touch the two things that show what Piko could know.

Lesson 3

Guess and evidence

Goal: Sort a statement into guess or evidence, and pick a question that checks a guess before deciding.

This lesson is about careful thinking, not about blame. Guesses are normal; the skill is to label them and check them. Do not ask the child to judge a real classmate or a real family member. Use the made-up characters only.

Starting point: Read the story of Tosbi not waving, then ask: “Is that something we saw, or something we think?”
A helpful phrase: “What could we look at, or ask, to find out more?” Let the child name the check before naming the answer.
A common mix-up: A child may treat a guess as a fact because it sounds sure. Say it plainly: “A sure voice does not make it evidence. We still need to check.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story so the guess is about a different character, and see whether the child still asks for a check before deciding.

Show: Sort each sentence: evidence that can be checked, or a guess that still needs checking?

Lesson 4

I-statements

Goal: Build a sentence that names the feeling, the situation and one clear request.

The I-statement is a skill that grows with practice. The aim is not a perfect sentence, but saying a feeling without accusing someone. Use only made-up characters. Never ask the child to describe a real conflict with a real person.

Starting point: Read the turn-taking story and ask: “Which sentence tells us the feeling, the situation and the request?”
A helpful phrase: “Which words say what the speaker feels? Which words ask for something small?”
A common mix-up: A child may think a sentence is an I-statement only because it begins with “I”. Say it plainly: “We also need a feeling, a situation and a request.”
Notice the transfer: Give the same story with the blame in it, and notice whether the child can rewrite it as an I-statement without help.

Show: Look at who the sentence is about. Sort each sentence: a blaming “you” sentence, or an I-statement?

Lesson 5

Options in a conflict

Goal: List more than one option in a conflict, and choose one that keeps both needs in view.

Conflicts are normal between children. This lesson teaches a way to look for options, not a rule that one child must give in. Use only made-up characters. Do not ask the child to name a real conflict with a classmate or a sibling.

Starting point: Read the story about the book and ask: “What could Hece and Tosbi do so that both can look?”
A helpful phrase: “Which option gives each of them a part? Which one would both of them accept?”
A common mix-up: A child may believe the fair option is to give in completely. Say it plainly: “A fair plan keeps both needs in view. Neither person has to lose everything.”
Notice the transfer: Change the object to something else, such as one shared pencil, and check whether the child can name two options before choosing.

Show: Two friends want the last green crayon at the same time. Build a fair plan: put the first step, the fair option and the next check in place.

Lesson 6

Limits and a respectful no

Goal: Tell a respectful no in one clear sentence, and choose a reaction that respects the other person’s no.

Limits and consent start with small everyday choices: a turn in a game, a shared drawing, a borrowed pencil. This lesson stays with these everyday situations. If a child describes someone who keeps pressing after a no, or who asks them to keep a secret from a grown-up, listen calmly and say: “Tell a grown-up you trust right away. It is never your fault.” Do not ask the child to describe their own experience; if you are worried about their safety, involve the school counsellor or the family.

Starting point: Read the story where Piko says no to painting, and ask: “What does Piko’s no ask Tosbi to do?”
A helpful phrase: “What could Tosbi say that still keeps the friendship open?”
A common mix-up: A child may think a no is only polite and can be argued away. Say it plainly: “A no means no. We listen first, and only then, if the other person wants to, do we decide together.”
Notice the transfer: Replay the story with the no said at a different moment, and notice whether the child still stops and listens.

Show: Sort each sentence: a respectful no, or pressure after a no?

Lesson 7

A repair plan

Goal: Name what happened, apologise without excuses, offer one concrete repair and say what will change.

A repair does not erase harm, but it shows care and takes responsibility. For children, the core skill is an apology with one concrete repair; a promise matters only when it can be kept. Use made-up characters only. Do not ask the child to describe a real harm they caused or suffered.

Starting point: Tell the torn picture story and ask: “What did Piko do first, and what could Piko do to make it right?”
A helpful phrase: “Which words say what happened? Which words say sorry? Which words make it right?”
A common mix-up: A child may think “I am sorry, but” is a full apology. Say it plainly: “The word but takes back part of the apology. Say sorry, then name the repair.”
Notice the transfer: Change the story to a borrowed book, and notice whether the child can build the apology and the repair without the example.

Show: Piko accidentally broke Hece’s pencil, and Hece is upset. Build the repair: put what happened, the apology and the repair in place.

Lesson 8

My support network

Goal: Name trusted people who can help with a big feeling, and say how to ask for support clearly.

This lesson is about safety and support. Keep the message calm: help is available, and asking is brave. Do not ask the child to name a real person in their life, a real problem or a secret. If a child shares a worrying situation, listen calmly, do not promise to keep it secret, and involve a trusted adult or the school’s support service.

Starting point: Read the story of Piko before a test, and ask: “Who could Piko ask for help, and who should Piko be careful about?”
A helpful phrase: “Who knows Piko in person? Who can help face to face?”
A common mix-up: A child may think they must solve a big worry alone, or that asking for help means they failed. Say it plainly: “Asking for help is a strong step. Big worries are shared with grown-ups.”
Notice the transfer: Notice whether the child names a trusted grown-up and a clear sentence without prompting. Do not ask about their own situation; if a child shares one, follow the steps in this adult note.

Show: Tosbi feels very alone at a new school. Build a support plan: choose who to tell and what to say.

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