My Hidden Chimp: From the best-selling author of The Chimp Paradox

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Talking quietly to him or reading to him can have a significant calming effect. If you are wanting him to sleep by 8 then it might be worth trying to get him into bed by 7.40 and use the 20 minutes to share some quality relaxing time with him. Following the success of The Chimp Paradox, Professor Steve Peters released My Hidden Chimp , which explains the principle in a child-friendly way.

If you’re reading this as a teacher wedded to the idea of direct instruction, there are a few things you might take issue with - Peters argues strongly for child-led discovery and investigation and emphasises the importance of group work. He is also adamant that positive encouragement and praise trump punishment, especially when it comes to challenging behaviours.

Peters is a consultant psychiatrist with some hefty credentials. He’s worked with a host of elite athletes (both Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton credit him with their Olympic success) and spent 20 years working within the NHS. He is a former maths teacher who holds a staggering number of degrees and postgraduate qualifications and has been called upon by a plethora of organisations including businesses, prisons, schools and universities to help people better understand how their minds work. However, sometimes, it’s a bit silly and thinks that everything is dangerous, even when it isn’t. 4. Draw Your Brain She used to start worrying mid week about her upcoming gymnastic session on a Saturday morning and she would start sweating and get worked up at the thought of her being left there for two hours.

Again I would reiterate that if your daughter can see that this is a normal function of the mind that just needs some management she might see things differently. It had so much success that even Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy says that he wouldn’t have won gold at the Beijing Olympics without understanding his inner chimp. At the moment I am guessing that she is feeling awful because of the feelings that she is getting and also because she knows that you want these to stop and therefore her behaviour to change. My son has suddenly become very sensitive and is taking things that other people say very much to heart, even when there is no malice intended, it’s as though he has lost all perspective and he thinks everyone is against him now. I have a nine-year-old boy who has been the subject of bully at school from two or three of his classmates - it’s been going on since September.We know how effective it can be for kids and adults to recognise that their pesky, limiting thoughts are not who they really are. This leads on to another potential problem. I suspect that some people might be unhappy with the book’s framing of your system 2 being the you that you really want to be and your system 1 being the part of you that acts without your permission. I’ve seen similar criticism of the Chimp Paradox. My Hidden Chimp is an effective and powerful new educational book that offers parents, teachers and carers some ideas and thoughts on how to help children to develop healthy habits for life. The science behind the habits is discussed in a practical way with exercises and activities to help children think the habits through and start putting them into practice. The neuroscience of the mind is simplified for children to understand and then use to their advantage.