Wellbeing means different things to different people at different times of their lives. We encourage a healthy and happy outlook from those around us without telling them how that might look for each individual.
Five areas of wellbeing
At Monkey Bob, we focus on the same five areas of wellbeing* as our parent charity, My CWA. They are:
Connect: Strengthening relationships with others – and feeling close to and valued by others, including at work – is critical to boosting wellbeing.
Keep learning: Being curious and seeking out new experiences at work – and in life more generally – positively stimulates the brain.
Be active: Being physically active – including at work – improves physical health and can improve mood and wellbeing and decrease stress, depression and anxiety.
Give: Carrying out acts of kindness – whether small or large – can increase happiness, life satisfaction and general sense of wellbeing.
Take notice: Paying more attention to the present moment – to thoughts and feelings and to the world around us – boosts our wellbeing.
Connect
Connect is the first of our five areas of wellbeing. Taking time to develop our connections with other people can improve our wellbeing. And we know how important a support network can be to children affected by domestic abuse.
Our real life stories show how powerful connecting can be. Find out how children affected by domestic abuse have made positive changes to their lives by connecting with Monkey Bob.
MAX’S STORY
Max had been living with and witnessing domestic abuse. The experience had left him feeling worried and anxious.
Max got support to help him identify important people he could go to if he felt unsafe, talk about his feelings and learn to cope with his emotions.
“The main thing that I have learnt is how to keep myself safe...” – Max.
Connecting with Monkey Bob
Monkey Bob helps children to connect with parents and professionals. He helps children to open up when they’re struggling to understand things that have happened in their lives. He helps them talk about their wishes and feelings. He teaches children important lessons about the way people treat them.
A bit more about Monkey Bob…
Monkey Bob – the colourful character at the heart of the Do You Feel What I Feel? toolkit – was born in 2016.
He’s been used successfully with parents and professionals alike to encourage children across the UK to engage with their feelings.
A friendly, likeable character, Monkey Bob helps Early Years children (those aged seven and under) to open up when they’re struggling with their feelings.
The Do You Feel What I Feel? toolkit…
The Do You Feel What I Feel? toolkit contains imaginative, interactive and child-centred resources that focus on encouraging young children to engage with their feelings.
Children using the Do You Feel What I Feel? toolkit will learn how to recognise their feelings, understand them and develop strategies for expressing them safely.
The Do You Feel What I Feel? toolkit is flexible and the resources included can be used in lots of different ways, so you can tailor the intervention to the needs of every child.
This flexibility makes Monkey Bob just as effective in the home – led by parents and guardians – as he is in a wide range of external professional settings.
Monkey Bob’s key messages…
Children under seven need simple messages, so we keep the language clear and concise. The key messages from the Do You Feel What I Feel? toolkit are:
It’s not ok for anyone to hurt or frighten you or anyone in your family.
It’s always ok to tell someone you trust if you’re worried or frightened.
It’s always ok to keep yourself safe if you’re afraid.
Monkey Bob is perfect if you’re working with Early Years children. With that in mind, it’s really important that you repeat and reinforce these three key messages as much as possible while you’re talking to children aged seven and under about their wishes and feelings.
*Based on government guidance for maintaining health and wellbeing, they form the foundations of our work with service users (domestic abuse survivors, people who harm & children), colleagues and volunteers.