Rewrite the Scene
Ages 8–11 · 10 minutes · You’ll need: A phone or tablet, or a real show paused
What a child watches comes in through the eyes and becomes part of them. Shows teach scripts: how to be angry, what to do after a fight. A child who can name the script can choose what to let in.
From our book Steady, chapter 9: Guarding against toxic influences. Free with the 5-minute assessment.
Set up
Sit together with a show your child likes and the remote in your hand. Say: “Let’s see what this show is putting into us.”
How to play
- Watch together. At the first argument, put-down or big sulk, press pause.
- Ask: “What is this scene teaching? Shout and you win? Mocking is funny?” Let your child say it their own way.
- Ask: “If you did that at home, what would happen next?” Keep it light. You’re curious, not angry.
- Rewrite the line together: what could the person say that would really work?
- Act it out, 20 seconds, both of you. Then press play and enjoy the rest.
What to say
- “What is this scene teaching us?”
- “Would that work in our house?”
Easier: Use a cartoon and ask only one question: “Was that kind or unkind?” Then say the kind line for them.
Harder: Ages 12 to 15: your teenager picks the scene and holds the remote. Ask what the editors wanted them to feel.
End with one question: “Which show did we catch teaching us something this week?”
raisesteady.com · Games, stories and quizzes to share with your child.
