As skate coaches, the Monster Mood Cards are a great way to ensure we are checking-in with each participant as they arrive at our programs. They can be used at the beginning and end of skate lessons to see if the participants' mood changes after skating, or to track wellbeing improvements over time. Perfect for demonstrating the positive effect of skate programs!
We’re stoked to be announcing our newest free skateboarding class resource…The Goodpush x Open Boarders Network Monster Mood Cards!
This resource was developed collaboratively by members of the Open Boarders Network to create a simple and effective way for participants to express how they feel upon arriving at our skate sessions.
Why is this important? Let us explain!
Monster Mood Cards promote a person-centred approach, ensuring every individual feels welcomed and valued as they step into our skate sessions. Participants can easily communicate their emotions by pointing to the card that best represents their mood, making the need for verbal expression not necessary. This is especially powerful when working with displaced youth or participants from diverse backgrounds, as it removes language barriers.
For young people who have experienced trauma or long-term stress, expressing emotions can be challenging. Skate coaches can use this tool to help them communicate their feelings more easily and, over time, foster a deeper connection to their emotions. By incorporating this practice into your skate sessions, you create an inclusive environment that nurtures emotional wellbeing and self-awareness.
The Monster Mood cards are available to download and print at home. One version includes the emotion labels in English and another version includes a blank space where the emotions can be written in any language. The cards are also available for digital use, so you can keep them on your phone or tablet and scroll through them for the participants to select.
If you are using the cards on a regular basis, we highly recommend recording your participants' answers and reviewing them every month or every quarter. These insights would be a great way to demonstrate accountability and the positive effect of your skate programs when talking to funders or completing funding applications or reports.
We'd love to see any photos or videos of you and your team using the Monster Mood Cards in your sessions, only if this is something your participants are comfortable with, of course. We hope you enjoy using the Monster Mood Cards and we invite you to let us know your feedback!
A huge thank you to Denia Kopita from Free Movement Skateboarding for the beautiful illustrations!
The Monster Mood Cards for skate coaches were adapted from an existing resource called The Gefühlsmonster Cards, a tool that sparks conversations about emotions and offers the opportunity to recognize and regulate feelings. We were inspired by this resource and saw the potential make a much more simplified adaptation which can be used as a quick check-in, on the ground and with little resources. The Gefühlsmonster site would be a great place to research how these conversations could be developed further.
