The Three Houses

by Sela Mao, Children’s Future Communications Associate

Social workers help Children’s Future children stay in school, have good relationships with their friends and family, and set goals for themselves by helping them identify their emotional needs. One tool that they often use is called “The Three Houses”. In this activity, students are asked to describe their household in the present condition. Then they are asked to describe what they think a good household is like. Lastly, the students are asked to describe a household that they aspire to have. For each house, they can draw what they know and imagine, or write down their ideas with the help of a social worker. This activity lets us understand a student’s own perceptions of his or her family, and learn things that make it easier for our team to support the student’s focus on school. Tools like this also help students notice what they love about their families, tell stories about their own lives and set goals for themselves in concrete terms. We are so proud of our social workers for using creative strategies to build relationships and support our children.