FAQs
Who created Mighty Cards and why? Mighty Cards were created by me - Dr Gail Sinitsky, a child psychologist in North London. Drawing together my knowledge and experiences, I created with cards with a mission to enhance children's emotional literacy and self-compassion. I want children to know that every single emotion is normal. Happiness, excitement, anxiety, disappointment, anger - and so many more. It's okay to have any of these feelings! Being able to recognise, understand, express and manage a range of feelings is what we call 'emotional literacy' and it's a really important part of positive mental health. We know, however, that some emotions can feel heavy, making children feel overwhelmed and their parents/carers/teachers feel powerless to help. I call these emotions “tricky feelings”, because, while no feeling is fundamentally bad, there are definitely some feelings which can be tricky to understand and tricky to manage. Mighty Cards help children to cope with these tricky feelings.
How do I introduce Mighty Cards to my child? Start by simply showing the cards to your child - give them a chance to explore and get a feel for them. Explain that the cards contain three different types of activities (breathing, creative, and movement exercises) and that doing these activities helps to invite emotions like happiness, joy and calmness into their lives. You may want to talk with them about the concept of ‘tricky feelings’ – emotions like worry, anger, sadness or disappointment that sometimes get in the way of friendships, learning, and other things. You could let them know that Mighty Cards can help them to make those feelings less overwhelming. They can’t get rid of these feelings completely because they are a normal part of life – but the activities can help to make them feel less powerful.
When and how often should my child use the cards? There is no single right way or right time to use the cards. The important thing is to explore and experiment with what works best for your child. Your child may want to pick a card at random, or they may prefer to select a particular activity. Some children select just one activity, while others like to do a few in a row. Here are some suggestions for when your chid could use the cards: - In the mornings, to start the day with a sense of peace - At bedtimes, to calm their busy mind and help them get to sleep - Before schoolwork, to help them feel more focussed - After school, to let off steam and release some energy - When their internal negative self-talk is loud, to help them be kinder to themselves - When feeling troubled by something, to better understand what's bothering them and help them feel less overwhelmed - When feeling happy, to practice their skills and have fun
Should my child use the cards alone or with an adult? Both! This partly depends on your child – their age, their needs, and what you and they think will be most helpful. Offering your child calm, empathic understanding, acceptance and guidance when they are struggling with tricky feelings is a key part in helping your child develop skills in recognising, understanding and managing their feelings. This is called co-regulation, which is an important step towards self-regulation. Using the cards together is part of this process, and also provides opportunities for meaningful conversations about their feelings and the things that are troubling them. You may also find that doing the activities yourself is a powerful way to model emotional regulation. The cards have lovely illustrations and simple language, meaning that many children will be able to use them independently. In doing so, we hope to help children develop their sense of competence and autonomy, and to skill them up with strategies that they can use whenever they need, as they grow. We often hear that children have been helping their siblings and friends use the Mighty Cards, which is such a lovely act of connection, kindness and supportive co-regulation.
Do you offer therapy or support? Yes, I provide therapy to children and adolescents in North London. You can find out more at www.springpsychology.co.uk and I welcome you to get in touch. Please also reach out if you would like specific support to use the Mighty Cards - at home or in school.
When my child is extremely upset / angry, they won’t listen to anything I suggest. What can I do? This absolutely makes sense. When children are at the peak of an emotional 'crisis' - whatever the tricky feeling is - it is much harder for them to reason and to engage in activities. Essentially, they are in fight/flight mode at this point and it can be really difficult to access and use the 'thinking' part of the brain. Grounding activities that involve breathing, the body and the senses can be really helpful, but the key is to remain calm (however hard!), offer lots of empathy and understanding, and ensure their safety. Over time, you and your child will begin to notice the little signals that let you know their tricky feeling is getting bigger. These might be increased irritability, more tearfulness, tummy aches, or many other things. At these times, Mighty Cards can help to de-escalate and keep the tricky feeling from getting too big. Even still, entering fight/flight mode is a normal response to certain triggers, so don't despair. It's all part of the journey.