Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“If our family was a sports team, what position would each of us play?”
What to listen for
Pay attention to what position they give themselves, a leader role (captain, quarterback) versus a supporting role (cheerleader, water person) can hint at how central or how helpful they currently feel in the family's daily rhythm. Neither is wrong, but it's worth knowing.
If they give everyone a role that sounds important and needed, that usually means they experience the family as a working team where everyone matters, a strong, secure sign. If they leave someone out or struggle to place someone, ask gently why, without correcting them.
If they say "I don't know," ask just about themselves first: "what position would you play?" Sometimes the whole-family version is too big to start with.
What this tells you
The role they imagine for themselves on the family team shows how useful and important they currently feel inside it.