The map of my two homes
Two houses drawn on one map, with no need to choose
Learning through play
Living between two houses scrambles a little one's world: where each thing is, who is waiting for them, whether loving one betrays the other. The map orders it: the two houses drawn on the same paper, joined by a path, each with the good it holds. And above the map, the phrase that protects them most, said in full: you can love us both.
By age: At 2-3, the visual calendar of the days is what orders things most; at 4-6, the full map with the good things about each house.
What you’ll need
- ·Big paper
- ·Colours
- ·Optional: photos of the two houses
Getting ready
Paper and colours on the table. Two minutes.
How it goes, step by step
- 1
Draw the two houses on the same map, joined by a path
- 2
Put on each one the good it holds: their bed here, the balcony there, who waits for them
- 3
Mark the days at each house with a colour on a simple calendar
- 4
Choose a beloved object that exists in both houses (or always travels with them)
- 5
Say the phrase out loud, in full: "you can love us both"
Safety
The map is about houses, not blame: if hard questions arrive ("why don't you live together?"), short and honest answers, without details of the adult conflict.
Your tool for the moment
What protects them most is not drawn: it is not having to choose. Do not use them as a messenger or ask where they are happier — your explicit permission to love the other is the best gift you can give.
The phrase they keep
«I have two nests. In both I am loved. I do not have to choose.»
The pedagogical why
After a separation, children adjust better with predictable routines in both homes, consistency between the adults and, above all, without loyalty conflicts: they need explicit permission to love both.
Honestly: The map orders the child's world, but it cannot make up for the conflict between adults they witness: that part is not theirs.
Source: JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, children of separated parents; APA, child adjustment after divorce
Grounded in developmental psychology and citable sources. It does not replace a professional’s assessment; if anything worries you, talk to your paediatrician.
What you get
- 1
The activity’s audio guide in Tilo’s voice, step by step
- 2
The everyday materials you’ll need — nothing to buy
- 3
The illustrated story and its audio story for this same situation
- 4
The Moment’s song, made to measure
- 5
The family guide: how to hold the play, and the rest of the week, from a calm place
Digital delivery by email. The confirmed delivery window will be shown before payment.
The story that plants it
The two nests
Two houses, a divided heart
The map of my two homes
Two houses drawn on one map, with no need to choose
This proposal is not for sale yet: Samantha must approve the complete Moment and all six languages.