This "make it yourself" tool is a great way of opening up conversations with young people. It can be used as a way of debriefing an experience (such as a mission trip) or checking in on how the week has gone for your teens. Go to a Dollar Store and purchase a soft toy soccer ball that has multiple "patches" of colour. Then, take a sharpie and write the beginning of a sentence on each "patch". Choose prompts that fit your particular group or situation, but some examples might be: 

 

• I noticed ...

• I feel ...

• I wonder ...

• I wish ...

• I'm encouraged by ...

Bring the ball out at the beginning of your time together and toss it around the group, asking the person to respond to the prompt that their thumb lands on when they catch the ball.