My Experiment with Metaphors

Post a training session on ‘How to connect with children and clean questions‘, I was deeply inspired to implement this with my children in class. So when T, a 6 year old was feeling low during one of the classes and isolated herself, it gave me an opportunity to experiment metaphors with her. Following is the documentation of our conversation.
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Me: Hey T, what happened? are you okay?
T: I’m tired, I have body pain and it’s been there since morning.
Me: Oh, is it? Where are you feeling tired in your body?
T(Points out her head and knee): in my head and here.
Me(trying to match her tone): Oh, how does it feel like?
T: It feels nothing.
Me: hmmm, how big is it?
T (showing the size with her hand): this much in my head, but it’s gone. I have this much plus this much in my knee
Me: Oh okay, what color is it?
T: dark blue
Me: which is your favorite color?
T: Orange
Me: do you want to take orange and paint it orange?
T: No?
Me(feeling stuck at this point): why? Do you want to keep the pain?
T: Yes
Me: But, why?
T: because I like it.
Me: so, what do you want to do now?
T: I want to sleep

Post this, I let her sleep and she was fine when she woke up.  Later that day, she was playing with one of her friend and suddenly stopped and calls out to me.
T: Ma’am, do you know why I didn’t want to paint it orange in the morning (pointing to her knee).
Me: why?
T(referring to her jeans): because, if I paint it, the color won’t go.

As facilitator or just humans trying to be better, it’s important to pay attention to the responses you get from your actions or conversations because that’s where your biggest feedback lies.

​Contributed by Yashika CG, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global Preschool.

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