Why Being Mightier Can Help Your Child
Mightier, a program developed out of Boston Children’s Hospital, helps kids build emotional strength through video games. It helps all kids, regardless of current emotional regulation ability. It does this because it meets them where they are, letting them take the skills they already have, and turn them into regulation skill that works for them. It let’s kids face down the challenges in their life with grace and find their best self.
Why be Mightier?
Kids with emotional regulation find success. They do better at school. They form better relationships. They even lead healthier lives. This is a fundamental skill that has lived in the shadows for far too long. While we’re taking our kids to their math tutor, piano practice, and sports lessons, we should also have in our mind how can I foster their social growth.
Who should use Mightier?
We all could use emotional regulation skills. Mightier is built for kids 6-14 years old. Most of the kids in our program have some sort of outsized emotional response: they get frustrated or angry easily, and these emotions get in the way of their own success. Kids come to us both with and without diagnoses like ADHD, Anxiety, or Autism.
How Mightier Works?
The Mightier program has two parts: a suite of video games that kids play and coaching services for families. To play the video games, kids wear a Mighty Band on their arm that watches their emotions change. They enter into Mightier City, and choose from an ever growing line-up of games that match their interest. They never get bored, there’s always a new challenge to find. The games get harder when emotions rise. This makes the games a whole lot like life — things get harder the more frustrated, angry, or upset you get. Kids learn quickly that the best way to succeed in the game is to take control of their emotions, and they are motivated to find a way that works for them. If they need some help in the game, they pause the game and summon some friendly help, and get rewarded for having the awareness to step back.
Families get one-on-one coaching from a dedicated licensed professional. We’ve found this to be invaluable to our families. While kids build skills in the game, it’s beyond helpful to have someone who knows how those skills are going to come out into the world, and can give you tips to speed them along their way. Too often, when raising a child with behavioral challenges, parents get isolated. Having someone in your corner makes the journey so much easier.
What’s special about Mightier?
Where’s the manual for learning to ride a bike? How about walking? We learn how to do these things through action. Through experimentation. Through play. As a group, we’ve gotten really good to talking to kids about skills. But kids never get to see that they work, that they can actually make their life better. What’s magic about Mightier is that kids get to see for themselves that these skills can make a positive change. They are free to experiment and find out what works for them. And they get to do it on their terms. This can be especially powerful for kids with autism, who may otherwise struggle to connect with others who would teach them strategies.
The Mightier Dream
Everyday, we have to face down our challenges. It doesn’t matter how big or small, to us, every personal challenge is important. Maybe it’s getting through a math test. Maybe it’s getting on the bus. Maybe it’s riding out a disagreement with friends. When you’re Mightier, you’re not going into those challenges alone. You’re calmer. You’re less angry. You’ve got a longer fuse. You’ve built up your skills, and ready to be your best self regardless of what comes your way. I think we’d live in a better world if we were all a little Mightier.
Click HERE to learn more about Mightier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjjJ-iKqtzc
Written By Dr. Jason Kahn
Jason Kahn Ph.D. is a dad, researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, Co-founder & Chief Science Officer at Mightier. Mightier uses the power of bioresponsive games to help kids build and practice calming skills to meet real-world challenges.
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