Emotions are powerful. They impact how we think, behave, and how our body feels. Anxiety can sometimes makes our thoughts get out of control, our heart race, and our stomach feel sick. Anger can make our muscles tense, give us tunnel vision, and prompt us to act in ways we regret. Our emotions are always valid – they are telling us something about the world or about ourselves. When we are aware of our different emotions, know what makes us anxious, recognize when we feel angry or overwhelmed, we can use calming strategies that prevent the emotion from taking over. These cards are developed to help us understand our emotions and practice calming strategies.
Use these cards to spark conversation with your child about emotions. Take turns picking cards and answering prompts. To encourage sharing, listen intently to children’s answers, validate their experiences, and ask them to share more. Your participation helps model emotional awareness and acceptance for children. Heads up! Throughout the deck are several challenge cards that are both silly and serious. These help kids practice skills and engage with emotional topics in an experiential, playful way.
Mightier Conversation Cards put a playful twist on social-emotional learning. Developed by psychologists and clinical social workers trained at Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals, Mightier Conversation Cards are grounded in evidence-based techniques. They put play, experiential learning, and relationship building at the heart of every moment. This downloadable PDF is a sampling of Mightier Conversation Cards. Full decks specific for Anger, Anxiety and Social Awareness and Social Skills are available through Amazon.
Note from Mightier Clinicians
Talking about difficult emotions and practicing calming strategies is one way to help children develop emotional regulation skills and improve their overall emotional wellbeing. Learn more about how Mightier Games help children build emotional strength here.
