My Hidden Chimp

by Steve Peters

Learn how TEN habits can help children to understand and manage their emotions and behaviour - the NEW book from the creator of the chimp management mind model and author of the million copy selling 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.

Professor Steve Peters explains neuroscience in a straightforward and intuitive way - offering up 10 simple habits that we as adults and children should have in our arsenal to deal with everyday life. They
- Smiling
- The importance of talking through your feelings
- Learning how to say sorry
- Knowing how to ask for help

By also explaining the developing 'chimp' brain in children, he shows us how 10 habits can help children to understand and manage their emotions and behaviour. These 10 habits should and can be retained for life. This is an important and another groundbreaking new book from the bestselling author of The Chimp Paradox and the creator of the chimp management mind model.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Psychology, Education, Childrens

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2023

About the author

Professor Steve Peters is a consultant psychiatrist and has worked in the clinical field of psychiatry for over 20 years. He specialises in optimising the functioning of the mind and also holds degrees in mathematics and medicine. Prof Peters is Undergraduate Dean at Sheffield University Medical School and resident psychiatrist with Sky ProCycling. He is also the consultant psychiatrist for Liverpool FC and, from May 2014, for the England football team. Steven Gerrard, Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Victoria Pendleton and Craig Bellamy have all spoken publicly about how Prof Peters' unique model has helped them improve their performance.

Outside of elite sport, Prof Peters works with CEOs, senior executives, students, hospital staff and patients, helping them to understand why they think and act as they do and how to manage their minds to optimise their performance at work and in their personal lives.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this through myself in less than an hour and then shared it with my six year old who really took to the idea that he has a chimp in his head controlling his behaviour! The book is filled with simple text boxes and illustrations and includes lots of activities for children to complete. This is a great introduction for younger children and would be useful for parents and school staff looking for a new approach to handling behavioural issues or simply for discussing emotions with younger children.

[Ema Patrichi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super-carte! E foarte potrivita pentru copii. Ar putea fi abordata la scoala la orele de dezvoltare personala si educatie civica.

[Ansi Deniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of the Chimp Paradox. So this book makes me feel better while dealing with my children.
The book is relatively simple version of The Chimp Paradox, with lots of exercises and diagrams every kid can understand and follow. The exercises work with my three daughters well. However I was not so comfortable with my 10 yo due to the very simplistic “childish” language of the book.
It is really powerful!
The Chimp Paradox and this kid version covers the scientific basis for understanding own feelings, expressing the emotions, making decisions and creating habits.
The book worths reading, but not a magic bullet unless you are completing the exercises. Practice makes perfect.
I do not define a finished date for the book. Because it will be my reference guide for a long time :)

[Michelle Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of The Chimp Paradox I was keen to share My Hidden Chimp with my kids as a way of explaining how our mind can be our best friend but also our worst enemy. Using the idea of a 'chimp' brain that sits alongside our human brain, complex ideas are broken down very simply and the book offers a way for children to understand not only how they're feeling but why they sometimes behave in a way that they don't understand or don't mean to. The book also offers 10 simple habits for children (and adults!) to cultivate including talking through your feelings, learning how to say sorry and knowing how to ask for help.

[Rosalyn Davey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excited to use this with some of my class. Hope it helps them!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting. It's written in a way a child of confident reading skill could read themselves or be read to by an adult. There are activities to do in each chapter to practice what has been learnt and also various scenarios to explain the concept. I do find though that a child does need to want to choose the good option and not allow their 'chimp' to take over. They need to be able to feel guilt at making the wrong choice in order to learn which is the right choice of action. Letting the chimp take over can often feel to them the better more fun option and so there is no incentive to stop and change their behaviour. So this is a working practice and not a quick fix to bad behaviour. I tried this on my 4 and 7 year old. The 4 year old couldn't understand it and wasn't interested in listening but I think it's good to continue trying. The 7 year old understood but didn't necessarily put it into action straight away and not all the time. Certainly a working progress. It is a very interesting book and interesting concept and you don't need to be a parent to appreciate the principle. Anyone with an interest in the working of the brain or psychology would find this interesting. The author has written more books on this principle and I will be adding them to my 'want to read' list.

[Leo Margetts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all about the part of the brain that you do not control all the time. It tells you how to control it and how to refuse its bidding. It tells you to say sorry if your chimp takes control because when the chimp takes over it gets over excited and it goes all jumpy and before you know what is happening you get over excited too. You can also ignore it totally so tha you can not even here it.

[Lucie Wheeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like a good idea and there are some helpful tips in it, but it feels too simplistic to actually help kids manage real life situations, and the outcomes are overly positive which is not what children will experience with their actual peers, siblings or adults in their lives. E.g. the sharing one sounds all rosy, but if other kids don't share back there's no real help with how to manage the injustice of that.

[Chrys · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent workbook for children from the author of The Chimp Paradox.
I think this is a really helpful book that would benefit every child, it's the sort of thing that should be taught in schools. Important techniques on dealing with our "animal" and instinctive side.
Even reading as an adult, I felt that there were things I could utilise.

[Mr C Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simplistic for younger children.

A good way to start the discussion with children. Doing the right thing, making mistakes, managing difficult emotions and taking responsibility. All difficult things for young children but this book aims to give awareness to children of what happens in the brain.
It's a good simple book.

[Anu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book for kids

Wonderful book on hidden chimp in you whom you can't control. Chimp can be helpful as a good friend or be bad by being grumbling or irritating. It has worksheet practices which is beneficial to understand what they have to do in situations. Insightful and fantastic book. Chimp can happen in adults as well. Must read for all and be yourself.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this after my daughter aged 10, to try and understand it. I had heard really good things about this book and like the idea of it. I must say I was a little disappointed. I feel my daughter was a little old for it. I may read it again with my six year old son. I have the adult version of this book to read also I just hope I’m not as disappointed with that one.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a useful tool to use with children. Simple to understand but would recommend you read The Chimp Paradox before using it to deepen your own understanding and application for yourself. Even better try to a conference to hear Steve speak himself. He's inspiring.

[Astrid · Rating 1 out of 5]

•Maybe if I was a child it seemed like a good idea, but I had to read it for a project.
•The ideas are a bit too simplistic for a child (I think the book is ok for 4-5 years old), it doesn't really help them with real situations.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to go through with young kids.

[Catherine Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to improve the understanding and management of emotions for children and useful activities for teachers to adapt for PSHE lessons.

[Пламен · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book to my 5 year old son. Great content that captured his attention. We’ll probably read it again at least a couple of times as he grows. I recommend it!

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd read this when I was younger!

[Kirsty Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward and seems like it would be effective for younger children. Probably best to introduce before there is too much of a problem.

[Yassin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book all about how to keep yourself calm!!!

[E.L Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worked though with kiddo and helped us a lot to talk about emotions.

[Bill Boswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been doing work on past traumas and this helped me understand them a lot more and how to deal with them

Being a children's book, it was an easy read and easy to understand

[Ioana Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ideala pentru copii sa înțeleagă cum funcționează creierul și de unde le vin frustrările, nervii, problemele și mai ales sa învețe sa le gestioneze.

[Grinney Pig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good clear practical advise ideal to do with children.

[Amina Yousuf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book to go through with children or just read on your own as an adult for a quick reminder.

[Anthony Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed it