In my work but also at home I see more and more children who have a full head. Their minds are constantly 'on', making it difficult for them to concentrate properly at school or to rest. All this tension accumulates in the body. The Monkey Mind cards I have at home can help your child with this. A beautiful set of 30 cards with different mindfulness exercises that are specially made for children. I would be happy to tell you more about it.
Table of contents
For the monkey in your head.
It will be recognizable for both adults and children:having a full head, with constantly something to think about or something that strikes you in your environment and what you are working on in your head. Busy thoughts are compared to a monkey floating around in your head. It jumps from one thought to another at lightning speed. This makes it very difficult to dwell on exactly what you feel and what you think about it. As a result, you react impulsively and you do not always decide for yourself. The monkey makes such a noise and bustle that you listen more to the monkey than to what you want.
The cards included in the Monkey Mind set provide children with mindfulness exercises. You will learn how to tame and master this monkey. This way your child comes back in touch with his own body and thoughts.
First of all, the cards are aimed at bringing back peace of mind and body. The first thing I notice about the cards is that they are made of sturdy cardboard. They can take a beating, so you can enjoy the Monkey Mind cards for a long time. Ideal to use several times in the classroom, playgroup or at home.
In addition, the cards are colorful and provided with beautiful illustrations. On the front of the card is an animal, on the back is a key phrase and the exercise. With this you can not only tame the monkey but also teach your child about his/her own strength.
Each exercise is about a powerful or relaxing quality of nature, a quality that is also in children (and adults). There are different colors of Monkey Mind cards. In this way, children learn to discover all sides of themselves and they get started with impulse control, building self-confidence, social empathy, resilience and relaxation exercises.
In total there are 30 different cards in the set, with an instruction book. The good thing is that it is not a lengthy instruction. The Monkey Mind cards and the method are explained in a short and simple way. As a tip to choose the right card is given:
I can also use these Monkey Mind cards myself, I notice. For example, if I have a difficult conversation planned with a colleague or if I come home completely stressed after a day's work and then seem to be short of hands in the evening rush hour.
Depending on the age of your child, you can let them choose a card themselves or choose a card for the other person. Then your child will choose one for you and you for your child. If your child can read on their own, you can have them read aloud, otherwise you can read them quietly. It is of course best if you both do the exercise of the card and talk about it with each other. It especially helps to name the feelings in younger children. I see that you look happy or I see that your shoulders have dropped down after the exercise. How does that feel to you?
Our oldest also often has a head full of all kinds of thoughts and finds it difficult to get rid of the stimuli in time. As a result, his bucket regularly overflows. I am therefore very happy that I can introduce the Monkey Mind cards to our children. Beforehand, I first let them breathe in and out deeply, until they no longer go through the kitchen like bouncing balls.
Together with a friend I have the cards put on the table like a fan and they choose a card themselves. One chooses the card of the lion, the other that of the monkey. The monkey card is about thoughts. Thoughts are visualized as a banana. By thinking about how many bananas the monkey wants to try to grab, it becomes concrete how much is in your head. The monkey can only grab one banana, the other bananas may fall on the floor and you don't have to think about that anymore. Our oldest is just 5 and the exercise is still a bit too difficult for him, although I do notice that closing his eyes and consciously reflecting on what you feel does make him calmer.
His boyfriend has the lion card. The core idea of this card is:'Discover the queen in yourself.
We grab a large mirror from above and look at ourselves from head to toe. Then we pretend to be the king of the land. What does it take to be a good king? One says:brave (4 years) and the other:tough! (5 years). All right, let's pretend we're a brave king or a tough king. We say this out loud to the mirror. I am a brave king. Then we walk through the room. The boys feel very tough and brave, they say. The card concludes that after feeling this way for a while, you become yourself again, but that a little piece of the king remains in you.
I have them finish working with the Monkey Mind cards by saying what the other is good at. In doing so, they have to look closely at what this does to the other person's face. They both shine and playing is extra fun afterwards!
I am very positive about this set. The Monkey Mind cards are very useful, because they work in a playful way to bring peace to mind and body. It is not a long story, but it is good to plan in a long day. Furthermore, the materials look nice and the cardboard box is fine to store them in. I will definitely use them a lot here at home and also at school if I think certain students would benefit from some peace and confidence.
Here you can read more information and order the set of cards
Giveaway
Do you also want to win a set of cards? Then take part in this giveaway! We can give away one set of cards to anyone who can tell me in a comment below why he or she would like to use these cards. The promotion runs until January 10, 2021.
