How to use Mighty Cards

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Mighty Cards have been designed with children in mind. At every step of the journey, from conception through to design and production, we have consulted with children to test and develop our ideas. We know that every child is unique and so there is no single right way to use our cards. Read on to learn about our “Top 3 Tips” for helping you get the most out of your Mighty Cards. 

 

Top Tip 1: Awareness 

 

A key aspect of successfully managing tricky feelings is the ability to recognise your emotions in the moment. So, in order to help children really make use of their Mighty strategies, it’s a good idea to help develop their awareness of emotions. Use feelings vocabulary regularly. Tentatively name emotions. Use our feelings poster to encourage your child to identify their feelings. Encourage your child to express how they are feeling before or after they have used their Mighty Cards. 

 

Top Tip 2: Normalise

 

Let your child know that every single emotion is normal. There is no such thing as an abnormal feeling and it’s impossible to get rid of a feeling permanently. But, some emotions do feel pretty horrible – emotions like anxiety, anger, disappointment, jealousy. We use the term “tricky feelings” to highlight that while no feeling is fundamentally bad, there are some feelings which are hard to understand and hard to manage. Often children feel out of control when their tricky feelings get big and this can be frightening. So, it’s important to reassure your child: it’s okay to feel this way, it’s hard but you’re going to be okay. Also, help your child to differentiate between their feelings and their behaviours. Anger for example is a natural emotion; hitting and shouting are unhelpful behaviours. Using the Mighty Cards enables children to choose from a range of helpful behaviours to regulate their emotion.  

 

Top Tip 3: Experiment and practice 

 

When is the best time to use Mighty Cards? A question we are often asked. Our response: at any time! The Mighty Cards can help children: 

 

• Start the day with a sense of peace 

• Fall asleep at night by calming their busy mind 

• Approach their school/homework with focus and motivation 

• Let off steam when they feel wound up 

• Feel compassionate to themselves when their thoughts are negative 

• Understand their feeling when it seems too confusing

• Get clarity about a difficult situation 

 

For this reason, children can use their Mighty Cards at any time of the day. Encourage your child to practice their Mighty strategies often, even when they are feeling happy and not troubled by tricky feelings. Take a look at “Path of a Tricky Feeling” to understand how using the cards at different times can help to strengthen a child’s emotional literacy skills.