Timbi Colors Science

Timbi Colors was written to give children, their caregivers, and counselors/teachers a more playful way to reinforce the topics, coping skills, and methods introduced in the book. Some of these will be new to the child and will be more easily assimilated if multiple sources and senses are engaged.  In Timbi Colors, we were able to make Timbi gender-neutral; the constraints of writing in verse made it too difficult in Timbi Talks.

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In Timbi Colors, we share the evidence-based ‘positive thinking’ practices of visualization, gratitude, experiencing nature, and even smiling and playing! Marvelously, the facial muscles used in smiling send signals to the brain stimulating production of positive hormones like endorphins. And, in play, researchers have shown that children access special neural circuitry that enhances self-regulation and aids healing. Once learned, these practices become part of the child’s toolkit for managing stress and difficult feelings.

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Several pages are straightforward repetition of important concepts in the book, with coloring or drawing added to engage the senses of touch and sight more actively.  Others provoke deeper thought, potentially allowing for a stronger connection to the material. And in other cases, we introduce additional practices and skills not mentioned in the book.

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For example, on page 5, children are encouraged to think about something that helps them feel better with the goal of facilitating positive thoughts. The expression in neuroscience “what fires together, wires together” means that encouraging positive thoughts forges stronger pathways to positivity. The converse is also true; dwelling on negative thoughts and situations strengthens those pathways. Therefore, the goal is to introduce as much positivity into the lives and minds of these children as possible. And finally, some pages are just for fun, to offer a break from the learning and make the book less like a ‘workbook’ and more like a ‘funbook.’
 

The following is a brief page by page overview: 

• First Spread, pages 2-3

  Reintroduce Timbi and reinforce the four core facts adapted from NACoA. Attempt to engage the child actively in the material by identifying four ways Timbi stays healthy in the rest of the book.

• 2nd Spread, pp 4-5

  Timbi hugs his Teddy and he feels better. Hugging encourages positive thoughts and activates beneficial neurochemicals.

• 3rd Spread, pp 6-7

  Reinforcing the child has trusted adults and people who love them.

• 4th Spread, pp 8-9

  Timbi misses Daddy and feels sad, but visualizes a happy place.  The active, multi-sensory approach of thinking about, and describing, a “happy place” allows  for a richer, more realistic experience of getting away to that place. 

• 5th Spread, pp 10-11

  When Timbi feels bad Timbi remembers to be thankful. Gratitude is another positive emotion that has been studied and shown to improve well-being.

• 6th Spread, pp 12-13

  Timbi knows people who have a parent who is struggling with addiction which helps Timbi feel less alone and stigmatized. The maze page is just for fun.

• 7th Spread, pp 14-15

  Timbi and Sami are playing together and supporting each other, accessing the special neural circuitry for play. The train dot to dot is just for fun.

• 8th Spread, pp 16-17

  Something’s not right. This is one of the key learnings from Timbi Talks. Children are quite sensitive and pick up on signals of tension and stress very well. They also tend not to have a vocabulary that permits them to express their feelings effectively.  As a result, they tend to manifest their strong emotions in their body, largely unrecognized. Teaching them to “listen” when their body has something to say (that is, when the body is holding on to emotions/stress) is crucial to allowing them to release them.  The drawing of Timbi has some suggestions of how the body might “speak” to someone, and encourages the child to circle the symptoms that feel right to them.

• 9th Spread, pp 18-19

  Timbi invites the child to take some deep breaths, and the next page explores the physical feeling of breathing to enable the child to connect to, and stay focused on the breath. This focus prolongs the child’s attention, giving the parasympathetic nervous system more time to settle the body.

• 10th Spread, pp 20-21

  Timbi is on the swing out in nature. As mentioned previously, being out in nature has cognitive and physiological benefits. The child is then invited to reflect on and draw or write about their favorite outdoor activity.

• 11th Spread, pp 22-23

  Timbi talks to the teacher. This is another key message. The child has access to and can avail themselves of safe adults who reassure them. The child is invited to think about and draw their safe adult.

• 12th Spread, pp 24-25

  This spread is showing that drawing or coloring generally can be relaxing and therapeutic. The Find the Differences page is just for fun.

• 13th Spread, pp 26-67

  Studies have shown that smiling actually makes people happier. The facial muscles send a signal to the brain. And smiling is contagious! Smile at someone and chances are very good they will smile back, and everyone feels happier.

• 14th Spread, pp 28-29

  Page 28 is fun and page 29 invites a smile-inducing  drawing, again, reinforcing positivity in the brain.

• 15th Spread, pp 30-31

  These are mostly fun coloring pages that encourage children to read. Reading or being read to develops vocabulary and word fluency which lead to greater success at school, and the significant advantages that brings.

• 16th Spread, pp 32-33

  These are fun pages which encourage children to clean up after themselves.

• 17th Spread, pp 34-35

  This spread reinforces the key message of goodness, love and resilience.

• 18th Spread, pp 36-37

  Recap of learnings and practices outlined in the book. The inside back cover has a handy list of ways to feel better that the adult can use to encourage the child.  

We thank you for sharing Timbi with a child who is impacted by a loved one’s substance abuse.  It is our great hope that the concepts and activities shared in the Timbi books will offer children a means to find hope and happiness, both with the help of safe people, and equally importantly, by themselves. 

Janet Hellier, MS MHC