Rebecca J Palmer

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Monkey Mind

Anxiety in children is increasing at an exponential rate all over the world. Living with anxious thoughts is like having a monkey that’s constantly chattering inside your head. Parents and professionals agree that early intervention is the key as childhood anxiety impacts on development and learning. Strategies to build resilience and to encourage persistence are highly valued in schools, higher education and the workplace. However, the competitive nature of our world has led children to believe that mistakes lead to failure, rather than leading to learning and growth. Children need to know that its normal for people to feel anxious, particularly when they are faced with something new. For adults, it may be starting a new job, traveling overseas for the first time, or meeting potential new in-laws! For children, it may simply be to ask questions in class, trying to make a new friend or playing a new sport. We can all develop personal techniques and strategies that help to ‘tame’ our monkeys, as the method that works for one person, might not work for another. Monkey Mind is a picture book designed to open the conversation with children, parents and carers: Having a growth mindset is when a person knows that mistakes are part of their learning journey; it’s how we grow emotionally as well as intellectually.