Metaphorical cards and work with children
This page is for adults: for psychologists, teachers and parents deciding whether the method suits a child. The platform itself is intended for users over 18, and a child works with the cards beside an adult rather than in the service. Below: what changes in a conversation with a child, which deck fits and where the limits run.
What changes compared to adults
An adult arrives with a formulated question; a child almost never does. So the work starts with looking rather than asking: what is on the card, who is there, what they are doing. Talking about the image is already the work, even if "and what is that about you" never comes up.
The second difference is length. Fifteen minutes is a lot for a seven-year-old; three or four cards with one question each is usually the limit. A teenager sustains more but reads an attempt to extract something faster, and contact ends there.
The third is language. A child describes a picture through actions and objects rather than states: "he hid", "it is dark here", "this one left". Translating that into feelings for them is not needed: a retelling in adult words usually means the adult is now doing the talking.
The practice that fits
Of our techniques the closest is Picture and word: short, no need to formulate a request, and it ends with one word rather than a conclusion.
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1
Lay out several cards face up
Drawing blind is not required: choosing with the eyes is more natural for a child and removes needless tension.
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2
Ask what is happening here
Description only: who, where, doing what. No questions about "is this like you" at this step.
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3
Ask for one word
Which word fits this card. The child’s word, not a prompted one; silence is an answer too.
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4
End on something neutral
The last card is chosen calm, and the conversation ends there. Leaving a child in a stirred-up state is not acceptable.
The full technique: picture and word. It helps for the adult to go through it first: that shows where the questions work and where they press.
Which deck fits
Children need recognisable scenes and faces without adult ambiguity.
- I Feel – 84 cards of feelings, body signals and self-regulation. Made for children and teenagers
- Light Within – 80 calm images of nature and states: good for ending a conversation gently
- The Open Door – 90 picture cards with fairytale images: good for a story rather than an analysis
Limits that matter more than method
This is the part the page exists for.
Our platform is intended for users over 18. We do not build a child mode and do not suggest that a child work with the service alone: the adult leads the conversation and the cards are the material.
Cards do not diagnose. A card a child picked supports no conclusion about their development, their family, and least of all about what happened to them. Any suspicion of harm is a reason to involve a specialist rather than lay out more cards.
If a child refuses to look, turns away or changes the subject, the work stops without persuasion. A refusal here is as much information as an answer.
The general limits of the method are on the safety page; for work with children they are stricter, not softer.
What it is not
Three expectations that send the method to the wrong address.
Not child assessment
Neither the choice of a card nor the story about it produces a finding. It is material for a conversation, not an assessment tool.
Not a way to make a child talk
If a child does not want to speak, cards should not become a workaround. Silence is respected.
Not a substitute for a specialist
Where trauma, violence or a persistent behavioural problem is suspected, a child specialist is needed, not a set of pictures.
FAQ
From what age do metaphorical cards work?
Which metaphorical cards suit children?
How long does work with a child take?
Can cards show that something is wrong with a child?
What if the child refuses?
See the I Feel deck
Next: the I Feel deck, the Picture and word technique, the limits of the method, for psychologists.