Magic Thinking for Kids
Author: Marrielle Monte
What was your inspiration for Magic Thinking for Kids?
I am so glad you asked because it’s a fun story! A few years back I was introduced to Positive Psychology and the Happiness Movement that is sweeping the world. I also learned about the International Day of Happiness. This was right up my alley being that when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say “Happy. I just want to be happy.”
I wanted to share happiness with everyone! I went to my son’s elementary school Principal and introduced her to the International Day of Happiness and told her I’d love to put up a happy wall at school, so the kids could be mindful of how they make others happy and what makes them happy. She loved the idea! Then the I asked the zinger. “May I come in and teach the school a Happy Dance to celebrate the day?” She wasn’t sure what to think about that idea, so I explained to her my professional experience in the performing arts and paired with my excitement for the day, she allowed me to come into the gym classes to celebrate happiness!
That day was incredible! There wasn’t one bare inch of space left on our Happy wall! The kids had such a great time learning the dance too! Even the older kids who came in looking like they like they haven’t smiled all week left smiling! After the dance I had them circle around me on the white gym line and explained that I don’t always wake up happy. That sometimes things get me down. I told them that when that happens I go to a mirror and look at myself and say, “I am awesome!” A quiet giggle filled the room. And I told them I know it seems silly, but you know what? It feels great! I encouraged them to try it. I lead them through a few affirmations and they self-consciously followed along. Then I encouraged them to really get excited and have fun! Scream them out! Punch up in the air! By the time we finished they had moved so closely around me with excitement! If someone would have pushed us we all would have fallen over! The energy was electric! The smiles and laughter were huge and contagious! This happened class after class all day long. After a class, one boy told me that this was the best day of his life! By the end of the day I realized that kids had no idea how powerful they were and that they can choose to be happy and change the way they feel. At that moment it hit me that I had to let them know. I started working on the book within days. Sorry if that was long winded. It was just such an inspiring experience!
What message do you hope kids will come away with after reading Magic Thinking?
After kiddos read Magic Thinking for Kids I want them to walk away knowing that their minds are powerful. I want them to know that they can choose to feel something different than they are currently feeling at the time, simply by changing their thoughts. They can choose to feel happy or brave or strong. I also want them to know that they are loveable.
To explain a bit about why I think this is important is because on average we have 60,000 thoughts a day and 60-80% of those thoughts are negative and repeated daily. I believe if we, as parents, incorporate these simple practices into our kiddos lives at an early age it will help them be more mindful and invites them to choose more positive thoughts. We will be empowering our children to lead a happier life. I believe if we do this it can create an incredible ripple around the world.
What is your favorite thing about writing for children?
One of my favorite things about writing for children is knowing that I can have a positive impact on them. I enjoy contributing to their wellbeing and happiness. I also love getting feedback from the parents and kids! When writing, you have an idea and you think it will do good things in the world and you don’t really know how it will land until you share it with them, so feedback really excites me.
What other projects are you currently working on?
Besides just wrapping a feature film project, I am currently working on my next few book ideas and have now been encouraged by parents to work on a similar idea as Magic Thinking for different age groups.
Bio:
Marrielle Monte is a happy activist and an affirmation aficionado. Her passion for spreading happiness comes from several years of teaching hundreds of elementary school kids a happy dance on the International Day of Happiness. Marrielle has a BFA in theatre and dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and studied the Science of Well Being at Yale. She has a diverse performance resume including singing and dancing on Broadway and making people laugh at The Improv and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. She works as an actor, owns a home-based business and is an active community volunteer. She lives in Denver with her husband, son, and several chickens. A fun fact about Marrielle is that she is the calm voice saying, “Please enjoy the music,” on every Verizon phone. Follow her at www.MarrielleMonte.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Book Blurb:
What if reinforcing positive thoughts could change your whole mood—or even your life? The Amazon Best Seller, Magic Thinking for Kids, is an upbeat and adorably illustrated book that introduces the power of affirmations as “magic thinking.” It teaches kids that they have the power to change the way they feel by changing their thoughts. It also shows them how to incorporate affirmations into their daily life with the goal of helping them to feel good about themselves, so they can lead a happier life.
