Every Grow Happy workbook is built on published research into how children learn feeling skills. Here's what that research says, in plain words, and how it shapes what we make.
What the research says
- Feeling skills can be learned. Programs that teach children to name feelings, calm their bodies, solve problems and understand others show small but real benefits on average.
- Practice with a grown-up matters most. The benefits last longest when adults keep practising the skills with children in everyday life.
- Little and often beats all at once. Skills practised in short sessions, spread over weeks, are remembered better. Benefits fade without ongoing practice.
The tools in our workbooks
- Name it: finding the word for a feeling and noticing body clues.
- Body tools: slow breathing and relaxing muscles, always paired with other skills.
- Stop, think, choose: step-by-step problem-solving.
- Another way to see it: checking thoughts and looking for other ways to see a situation.
- Brave steps: facing everyday worries in small steps, with a grown-up alongside.
- Walk in their shoes: practice in understanding other people's thoughts and feelings.
- Kind acts: small, regular acts of kindness, without prizes.
- Specific praise for effort: sincere praise for trying and for strategies, in the Grown-ups' Guide.
What we deliberately leave out
- "Just be happy" messages. All feelings are allowed; we practise what to do with them.
- Praise for being smart or the best. It can lower motivation.
- Prizes for kindness. Rewarding things children already enjoy can lower their own motivation.
- Promises to fix or treat. Our workbooks have not been tested in their own research trial, and they are not therapy.
Who it's for
Our workbooks are for everyday big feelings. If your child's worries or feelings are stopping them from doing everyday things, talk to your GP.
Need help now? If you're worried about your child's safety or wellbeing, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (free, any time) or Parentline in your state. In an emergency, call 000.