The me-too tree
Make it visible that their light does not go out
Learning through play
Jealousy shouts "it's not my turn any more". This tree answers with proof: each leaf is a moment of love your little one also receives, stuck on by their own hands. As the tree fills up, they practise the other half of the skill: asking for their time with words instead of a shove.
By age: At 2-3 you draw and they stick on the leaves; at 4-6 they remember and draw their own moments.
What you’ll need
- ·Big paper or card
- ·Colours
- ·Little bits of paper or sticky notes for the leaves
Getting ready
Paper on the table and colours to hand. Two minutes.
How it goes, step by step
- 1
Draw a big tree together with empty branches
- 2
Remember special moments of theirs and stick on a leaf for each one
- 3
Write on the trunk the name of your daily "just-us time"
- 4
Rehearse the phrase to ask for love with words: "I want my time"
- 5
If you have candles at home, light two and see how there is more light, not less
Safety
Candles stay in your hands only and out of their reach; at 2-3 use two torches instead.
Your tool for the moment
When the jealousy shows up, validate before correcting: "you wanted me to look at you". Then remind them of their route: ask for their time with the phrase. The tree works because the daily time genuinely exists — protect it like an appointment.
The phrase they keep
«I want my time. I ask for it. Love never runs out.»
The pedagogical why
Jealousy eases when each child has guaranteed individual time and is not compared. Naming the feeling without punishing it and giving a concrete way to ask for attention reduces aggression towards the other.
Honestly: The tree makes love visible, but it does not replace what feeds it: if the daily time does not happen, no drawing makes up for it.
Source: Laurie Kramer, More Fun with Sisters and Brothers programme; Judy Dunn, sibling relationships
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 candle that lights another candle
Jealousy that eats them up
The me-too tree
Make it visible that their light does not go out
This proposal is not for sale yet: Samantha must approve the complete Moment and all six languages.