Butterflies? Goosebumps? Beating heart? Body signals are sometimes called our ‘early warning signs’; they let us know immediately when we feel stressed or unsafe. That’s why they’re crucial for protective behaviours, trauma-informed practice or simply for navigating everyday life. Recognising and managing body signals helps build emotional and mental resilience—whether it is pre-schoolers transitioning to big school, young people navigating relationships, or adults dealing with life’s ups and downs. This marvellous mob of meerkat characters will help people of any age tune into their body signals and build a vocabulary to describe them. Pick cards for what happens in your body when you’re happy, sad, scared, angry, hot, tired or hungry. Which body signals mean you feel unsafe? Who could you tell when you feel unsafe? Pick several cards—what others words could describe the body signals? Like a faulty car alarm, body signals are triggered if we’re anxious, even when we know there’s no real danger. How can you soothe unwanted body signals? ‘Learning to interpret body signals opens up a treasure-trove of life skills for everyone—whether it is pre-schoolers transitioning to big school, young people building identity, or adults facing the inevitable challenges of life. You’ve heard of emotional intelligence (EQ), here now is the matching component of body intelligence (BQ).’ (From the booklet)
