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CREATING CONFIDENT KIDS WITH THE LITTLE HERO COMPANY

Nov 21, 2019 Rachel Southern

We're incredibly excited to share this interview with real life superhero trainer, Lucy Cardell, from the Little Hero Company. Want to know more about raising happy, confident kids and how to bring out their inner superheroes? Read on!

Hi Lucy, you run The Little Hero Training Company. Can you tell us a little bit more about the classes?

We run a 45 minute, action packed, physically and mentally engaging class to empower and create confidence in kids. Their time begins by powering up into Superhero Status, chanting empowering super sayings, and forming Superhero poses.

They then go onto tackle an assault course and participate in team training games. We also have a ‘Pow Wow’ sit down discussion on various images that show The Super Power of the Week which over the course of the year cover the Power of True Superhero Traits such as Super Speed and Super Strength to The Power of Emotions and The Power of Our Planet.

Through these topics we discuss how we can adapt this knowledge to our everyday lives, to others, and to ourselves to make us stronger and do good in the world. We have based this around the early year’s curriculum, so we not only do local classes but go out to schools to support various topics in their curriculum in an exciting, dynamic way.

Creating confident kids with The Little Hero Company

For those not based in and around London, what activities can you recommend for parents to train their little superheroes at home?

Have fun building their own assault course in a cleared safe are, using objects from around the house that could turn into anything. For example, laser beams to jump over could be two piles of books either side with a broom running across like a bridge. Find old used paper and scrunch it up into balls to fire into a waste paper basket, or set up a row of teddies to sneak past. And remember half the joy is building it and deciding what the various obstacles can be made from and what they become in your Superhero World.

Team Training games can be anything that involves chasing - ‘What’s the time Mad Scientist?’, ‘Explosion Time!!’, instead of What’s the time Mr Wolf! An old classic but they never tire of it. Superhero Musical Statues is another good one. Build a Superhero Hideout with clothes horses, cushions and blankets. Grab a couple of used empty boxes, tape them up, pop them on top of each other for your Little Hero to bash down and build back up again. There's hours of fun to be had.

Creating confident kids with The Little Hero Company

 

Why is imaginative play so important for children?

It allows each kid the freedom to be whoever they want to be, no restrictions. It allows them to be able to run with whatever they are thinking, experiment with different situations and see how it feels and what reactions their persona might get from others. It teaches them to think outside the box and that anything is possible when you have it all in place and put your mind to it!

What are your top tips for raising confident kids?

Listen, empathise, focus on positives, address any negatives, help them learn from their mistakes, embrace their imagination and run with it. Let them be who they want to be, even if it’s just for 10minutes!

What do you think of the new GLTC superheroes range - we know that you've been testing a couple of our products in your classes?

It has been great fun and with great pleasure to test out some of your Superhero products, with our Super Strong and Speedy Little Hero’s who have been very impressed and excited by them, in amongst out imaginative play.

https://www.gltc.co.uk/collections/childrens-bean-bags/products/washable-bean-bag-superhero

They've been selecting gems (colourful beanbags) out of the Superhero Teepee and they’ve been feeling very proud when asked to post a special star into the cloud reward chart. I actually used the Superhero bean bag to sit on when delivering our weekly pow wow. It's very comfy and the Little Heroes loved nestling into it as well.

https://www.gltc.co.uk/collections/childrens-bean-bags/products/washable-bean-bag-superhero

Myself and the parents thought the products looked visually very striking and well-made and I found them incredibly easy to put together using the GLTC’s straight forward instructions. They'd be a wonderful addition to any aspiring Little Hero’s home or nursery.

How do you encourage your team of superheroes to go out and use their powers to do good in their day to day lives?

Through the topics and different images we explore each week, we constantly highlight tools that each Little Hero has already to use to project kindness, thoughtfulness, being happy with who they are and trying new things. I explain that it is all part of who they are and therefore helping them be the best they can be.

Finally, are there any superhero/confidence-raising books that you can recommend for parents and children to read together?

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreas

The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright

You’re A Star by Poppy O’Neill

I love all Jason Ford’s creative Superhero series of books too and I’m currently dipping into The Floor is Lava by Ivan Brett – it's great inspiration for fun games that can easily be adapted to suit different situations on the go and out and about.

Take a look at our entire superhero range to create the ultimate superhero bedroom or playroom.

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